Alternate Reality
by tiberius1
Summary: AU set after Bad Timing, but not taking into account Peacekeeper Wars. Moya and crew are still recovering and experience a lull in the action until they have a mysterious visitor
1. Prologue

A/N – This story takes place some time after Bad Timing and does not take into account the events of Peacekeeper Wars and is thus and Alternate Universe. Originally this was started back in November of 2003 and has been a long time in coming. I keep writing myself into corners.

* * *

The ship started shaking violently as some unseen force grabbed hold of it.

"Lieutenant, what's going on?" the captain asked as he grabbed hold of the console for balance.

The lieutenant's hands flew across the console, "I don't know, Captain. Readings are off the scale."

"Unacceptable. I want answers."

"Working on it, sir," she replied as she ducked the cascade of sparks coming from over her head.

Consoles and conduits began breaking. There was a shower of sparks and a series of small explosions.

One of the techs pointed at the blue vortex on the view screen. "We're being sucked in!"

"I can see that. Lieutenant!" he barked.

"We…don't have the power to break free."

In the distance they could hear the sound of a pressure hatch sealing. The hull had breeched nearby.

"Initiate starburst."

"Sir! We don't know what that much energy within this confined area could do to us," screamed the panicked lieutenant.

Power flows were interrupted and the lights flickered on and off.

"Well, what do you suggest?" he asked impatiently. He hated being confronted with the unknown and having his judgment questioned.

"At this point we need to go along with the flow of the energy," she replied.

"Are you sure?"

"The stresses on the outer hull are increasing, Captain," reported the tech.

The pops and creaks of the hull were becoming more frequent.

"It's our only option, Captain. If we continue to fight it, we will be destroyed."

"Enter the anomaly. Find a solution to this, Lieutenant."

"I'm working as fast as I can, sir. There is nothing like this on record."

The Captain began pacing as his ship steadied out.

* * *

"_Crichton you need to come to command_," Pilot urged.

"What is it Pilot?"

"_There is a wormhole forming. Moya is concerned_."

John ran to command. "A wormhole? Are you sure? I don't feel anything."

"_Positive. And Moya is detecting a ship_."

"Aeryn, D'Argo, Chi are you getting this? What kind of a ship?"

By now John was in command and Pilot's face was up on the clamshell. "Unknown. It's still too far away and the wormhole is interfering with Moya's sensors."

"Why is there a wormhole here?" D'Argo asked.

"Hell if I know. I didn't feel this one coming. Pilot, do we have any more information on that ship?"

"Not yet. Approximately another twenty microts."

"What is it?" asked Aeryn as she entered command.

"Wormhole," stated John.

"I can see that. Is that..?" Aeryn's voice trailed off.

Everyone stared at the screen.

"Pilot," John began as he worked the sensor panel.

"_Yes, Crichton. Moya sees it. It…appears to be…Talyn_."

"Talyn?" asked Aeryn.

"But they were destroyed," said D'Argo.

"Apparently not," said Aeryn. "Pilot, have you established comms with them?"

"_No. They aren't answering. Though Moya does detect numerous life forms_." Pilot worked his console searching for answers. "_A Marauder is leaving Talyn's hangar and heading our way_."

"Have we contacted them?" John asked.

"What the frell is a Marauder doing on Talyn?" D'Argo asked at the same time.

Chiana and Rygel had just entered command. "What's going on?" she asked.

"Not now, Pip. Pilot!" John was getting desperate.

"_I am unable to establish comms with them. Their weapons are locked onto us, but they aren't powered up_."

"Is that a Marauder? From Talyn?" asked Chiana.

"Yeah, it is. Okay I suggest we go welcome our guests," said John.

"My thoughts exactly," replied Aeryn.

It didn't take long before the Moya crew was standing in the maintenance bay, weapons pointed at the door.

"_The Marauder has landed and they are armed_," reported Pilot.

"I figured as much," John replied dryly. "Let 'em in, Pilot."

Everyone shifted their weapons as the doors opened. The Peacekeeper guards were already in position, weapons trained. There were a dozen of them. "Lower your weapons!" ordered the sergeant of the guard. "Lower your weapons or we will fire."

The Moyans glanced at each other out of the corner of their eyes. They knew they couldn't win this firefight. The Peacekeepers were too heavily armed and armored. Their worst nightmare had been realized, Talyn had survived starburst and the Peacekeepers were now in charge.

"I will not be a prisoner again," growled D'Argo.

"I know what you mean, but I don't want to be dead either." John knelt down and placed his weapon on the deck. The others reluctantly followed his example.

The sergeant spoke into his comms unit.

The Moyans shifted nervously as they waited to see what would happen. A new Peacekeeper walked into view. "You will assist us in making repairs."

"Crais you bastard. You turned Talyn over to the Peacekeepers," John spat.

Crais looked at John curiously. "Who are you and how is it that you know…me?" His voice trailed off as he saw Aeryn. "Senior Officer Sun? How is this possible?"

"What the frell is going on here?" asked John.


	2. Chapter 1

"I ordered you to give me an explanation, Sun."

Aeryn was confused. Something was not right.

"First you tell me what the _frell_ is going on here," insisted John.

Crais motioned for one of the guards to cover John. "You will not speak unless spoken to." He stepped closer to Aeryn. "What are you doing on this Leviathan? Have you turned traitor?"

John could hear the menace in Crais' voice. "You declared her irr…" he didn't finish as the guard smacked him with the butt of his pulse rifle.

"Captain, this situation is more complex than it appears," Aeryn explained.

"Obviously, since you are supposed to be dead," he said dryly. "Is there a logical explanation?" He was quickly losing patience with their evasiveness. He had hoped to come in and quickly secure this wild Leviathan. It could then be used to provide the material needed to repair Talyn.

John had regained his feet. He was starting to put all the information together. "I can explain." He blocked the blow from the pulse rifle this time.

Crais turned his attention on Crichton. "Then by all means, explain."

"You're the one that's supposed to be dead."

The guard moved to strike John again, but Crais raised his hand to stop the guard. He circled John. He was mildly amused. "_I_ am supposed to be dead? This is an interesting explanation. Continue."

"Not quite a cycle ago, you and Talyn starburst in the hangar of the command carrier _Churat_."

"You would have me believe I destroyed my own command carrier?" This was one of the most interesting lies he had ever heard.

"It wasn't your ship at the time. Scorpius had stolen it from you." When Crais didn't comment he continued. "Since you don't have any memory of this, I think you might be from a different reality."

Crais stopped his circling and cocked an eyebrow, "Different reality?"

"Look, this would be a lot easier to explain without guns pointed at my face. We're not armed and we're obviously not going to overpower you."

"Is this your entire crew?"

"There are two more, but they aren't going to hurt you."

"You and Senior Officer Sun will accompany me to the center chamber. The others will remain here under guard."

* * *

Four of the guards escorted Aeryn and John while Crais followed behind. Aeryn whispered to John, "Do you really think he's from another reality?"

"Has to be. There isn't another explanation," he whispered back.

"No talking," snapped one of the guards.

Once in the center chamber they sat on the opposite sides of the table. The guards took up position by the door. Crais chose a chair that would allow his guards a clean shot at the two of them. "Explain what a different reality is."

Crichton gave a quick wormhole rundown. Crais furrowed his brow. "And how do I return to my reality?"

"You have to find a wormhole. Even then it isn't easy."

"Can't we return through the wormhole that brought us here?"

"You could if it were still here. It's not. I don't even know what that one was doing here. It shouldn't have been here."

"You can find wormholes. As soon as Talyn is operational you will locate one," Crais stated.

"It's not that easy," John began.

Aeryn interrupted, "What's wrong with Talyn?"

Crais didn't want to tell someone he wasn't sure he could trust with Talyn's status. "You don't need to know."

"How did he get his name?" She couldn't help but feel her alternate self had somehow been involved.

"Lt. Velorek named him." He didn't have time for her petty line of questioning. He focused his attention on Crichton. "Why isn't it that easy?"

Aeryn whispered quietly, "Velorek." Had she convinced Velorek not to sabotage the project in Crais' reality? Crais' voice had not been full of malice when he had said the tech's name. That had to be the case. How else would Velorek know of the name Talyn? It was too improbable for it to be a coincidence.

"Wormholes are complex. I can't just summon them. They're also dangerous. The Scarrans are after them, and us. Peacekeepers, too, for that matter."

Pilot popped up on the clamshell, "Crichton, another transport is arriving from Talyn."

"Invading us, Crais?" he asked.

The guards shifted uncomfortably at this apparent insubordination.

Crais did not like the familiarity with which this 'Crichton' addressed him. He would have to find out more about this reality. "My maintenance team. They are here to harvest parts to conduct repairs."

John leaned forward in his chair and the guards aimed their weapons at him. "Whoa! You are _not_ going to hurt Moya."

"You say the Scarrans and the Peacekeepers are hunting you. This ship is unarmed. It is in Iyour/I best interest that Talyn be repaired. Besides, I don't see that you can stop us."

Aeryn decided to intervene before John lost his temper. "Captain, Moya has been our home for more than four cycles. We've come to respect Leviathans. I'm sure Moya will be happy to help Talyn. Let us work with your people to ensure that Moya isn't hurt."

Crais was not in the mood to negotiate. "We will take what we need. This Leviathan is inconsequential."

"If you want to get home, you'll do it our way," John said smugly. Crais glared at him. John leaned back in his chair and smiled. "The way I figure it, you can't get home without my help. You hurt Moya, you won't get it."

Crais clenched his jaw. He hated losing. "Senior Officer Sun, you will accompany my maintenance team. Crichton, you will remain here and continue your explanation."

"Sure thing. I just need you to fill me in on your background as well. Why don't you go first? You can start by explaining Talyn."

Aeryn wanted to hear the explanation. Crais saw her loitering by the door. He glared at her, "You have your orders, Sun."

She knew she had no choice. "Yes, sir."

Once Aeryn had gone, Crais tried to convince Crichton to go first. "It might be easier if I knew what your history is. It could save time."

The two of them stared at each other. John really didn't want to go first. He had no idea how Crais would react their first meeting. He decided to give a short version, omitting Tauvo's death and for now the fact that he was human.

Crais listened with interest. He knew that he would have wanted to recapture the escaped prisoners, but to disobey an order from First Command seemed excessive. He couldn't envision throwing away his career for that.

When John finished he said, "Okay, your turn."

"As you can see the gunship project was a success. Talyn is the first of many gunships. They have been instrumental in our successes over the Scarrans."

Crichton sat forward eagerly, "There are more gunships?"

Crais looked annoyed. "I did not interrupt you."

"Sorry." He leaned back in his chair.

"Yes, there is more than one gunship. My command carrier group has a squadron of eight gunships. Most are young and inexperienced." He then went on to explain how the Peacekeepers had used the gunships to preemptively attack the Scarrans before they could muster the forces for their own attack.

"Is that how Aeryn died?" John interrupted.

"Who?"

"Aeryn Sun. Officer Aeryn Sun. You seemed to think she shouldn't be here."

"Senior Officer Sun was killed two monens ago in a test flight of a prototype combat pod that Talyn had grown."

John was shocked to hear this news. He knew that what happened in one reality didn't affect another, but Aeryn dying in any reality bothered him.

* * *

D'Argo was pacing his cell. He couldn't believe he was once again a prisoner of the Peacekeepers. "Pilot, open the cell door," he commanded.

_"I cannot do that."_

"And why not?"

_"Moya doesn't wish to upset the Peacekeepers. As soon as they leave, I will release you."_

He growled and slammed his fists against the bars.

Chiana stared at him from the cell across the way. "Hey, don't worry. We'll be out of here soon. You heard Pilot. This is only temporary."

"I cannot believe that Aeryn and John agreed to let the Peacekeepers do this."

"So what were we supposed to do? Put up a fight against a dozen armed soldiers? I don't know about you, but I really don't want to die."

Stark was pacing nervously. "This isn't right. They aren't supposed to be here." He clung desperately to the bars of the cell. "What do you suppose they want?"

D'Argo grabbed Stark and shoved him against the bulkhead, "I know I want you to be quiet." He then turned his attention to Rygel who was examining the walls of the cell. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, nothing," Rygel chuckled.

Even though she couldn't see him, Chiana knew Rygel well enough to know that was a lie. "Come on, frog face, you're up to something. Do you know a way out of here?"

Rygel smiled at her. He momentarily considered being selfish, but the look D'Argo was giving him made him change his mind. "Possibly, but even if I do, it won't do us much good. What do you think the Peacekeepers would do to us if they saw us out of our cells?"

D'Argo grabbed the front of Rygel's robes, "Then what are you doing, _Your Eminence_?"

Rygel tried to appear as imperious as always, "If you must know, I'm looking for a way to tap into Moya's sensors so that I can see what the Peacekeepers are doing."

"And?" D'Argo growled.

"I haven't finished yet. It isn't an easy thing to do."

D'Argo shoved Rygel back towards the conduit, "Then work faster."

* * *

Aeryn let the guard accompany her to the maintenance bay. She decided to act like he was there because she wanted him to be there. They arrived in the maintenance bay before the second transport arrived. She noticed that the others were not there. Presumably they had been taken to holding cells. She could only hope that D'Argo had maintained his temper. She folded her arms across her chest and waited.

When the doors opened there was a small tech detachment. The fifth tech through the doors stopped dead in his tracks. "Aeryn?"

She couldn't believe her eyes. Velorek was dead. Killed for treason nearly seven cycles ago. "Velorek?"

He dropped his bag and swept her up into his arms. He didn't care who saw them. "I thought you were dead? How did you survive? Why didn't you try to get back to us?"

She fought through her shock and pulled away from him. "What are you doing with Crais?"

He brushed her hair. "Aeryn, are you alright? We've been working on the gunship project for cycles. How could you have forgotten?"

"I didn't forget. You're… I never… We never worked on the gunship project."

Velorek could tell his work team was growing impatient. "We need to get to work harvesting replacement parts. We can talk as we work."

"I won't let you hurt Moya," she said defensively.

"Moya?" Could this really be the same Leviathan? He hadn't seen Moya in cycles, he had been working almost exclusively on Talyn. "I wouldn't dream of hurting Moya. You know that." She must be suffering from some sort of amnesia. "We should work quickly. Talyn's weapons aren't on line and we're defenseless."

He expertly directed his team on where they should go to get what was needed, but to wait for his signal. Aeryn was surprised to see that the techs had brought anesthetic with them.

Aeryn found that he was leading her towards Pilot's den. "Where are we going?"

"I wish to speak with Pilot before we begin harvesting. What did you mean you said we never worked on the gunship project?"

She wasn't sure where to begin. She didn't completely understand what was going on. She stopped and faced him. "You and I never worked on the gunship project. When you were sabotaging the project, I…turned you in," she looked away from his gaze.

He took her shoulders in his hands. "No you didn't. You talked me into changing my mind. Without you the Peacekeepers and the Sebacean race might have been destroyed." By now he was sure that something was not entirely right. He released her and took a step back, the smile melting from his face. "You don't remember anything, do you? Our son?"

Aeryn could feel herself getting choked up. "I'm not your Aeryn. There never was a son. I turned you over to Crais. The gunship project failed. I think John could explain it better than I can, but it has something to do with the wormhole you arrived through."

He was trying to make sense of it all. He didn't understand what she meant by 'not his Aeryn'. "But you know Talyn."

She nodded. "About two cycles after you sabotaged the project, D'Argo broke the shield and Talyn was conceived. Moya gave me the honor of naming him."

He smiled sadly, "At least one thing remained constant. We should get back to work. Captain Crais will want a progress report soon." He wondered who this 'John' was and if he had a chance with this Aeryn. He had seen the emotion in her eyes when she had first seen him.

They walked in silence to the den. Pilot was surprised to see Velorek. "Lt. Velorek! I had not expected to see you."

"It's been a long time Pilot. Talyn is injured and requires Moya's help."

"Of course. Moya will help however she can. She is ready to move into position to give him nutrients."

"I also need some three-kay wire and replacement conduits. We will take them from non-vital areas and Moya will be sedated first."

Aeryn was reminded of how gentle a man he truly was and how hard it had been to turn him in. She had begged him to not sabotage the project. It seems that in his reality she had succeeded.

"Moya understands and will help."

"Thank you Pilot." He keyed his comms, "Maintenance team, this is Lt. Velorek, begin harvesting the parts we need." He then activated a ladder so he could climb down into the neural cluster. Aeryn followed to keep an eye on him. It didn't take him long to notice the change in Pilot's connection. "This isn't the connection I made, this is a natural bond." He looked at Aeryn for an explanation.

She found it so hard to look him in the eyes and broke away from his gaze. "Three cycles ago, Pilot severed the connection and formed a natural bond with Moya."

"This looks more recent than that." He pointed to one of Pilot's tentacles. "This connection can't be more than a few monens old. It is also a very amateurish connection."

"Half a cycle ago, Pilot removed himself from Moya to help us keep the Scarrens at bay."

"He removed…" He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Pilot's never left the Leviathans after they bonded.

He was prevented from further questioning by his comms. _"Lieutenant, report,"_ ordered Crais.

"We've almost finished gathering the parts we need. Moya is being quite cooperative and is conducting a nutrient transfer."

_"How much longer?"_

"We will return to Talyn within a quarter arn. Repairs to get the weapons on line should take about an arn with power to propulsion in two to three. It will be some time before higher functions can be brought back on line." When there was no response he turned to Aeryn. "A man of few words." He went back to work, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. After several long microts of silence he said, "Will you come to Talyn or will you remain here?"

A part of her wanted to see Talyn, but she knew this was not her Talyn. "My place is here."

He placed the last of the cables in his bag. "I need to return to Talyn. I'll try to return when repairs are complete." He placed his hand on her cheek before walking away. He hoped to talk her into changing her mind.

She watched him leave. Wormholes had made her life very difficult.


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N:** I hope that you enjoy this story. I'm sorry it's taken so long for me to post more to this. I am proud to announce that in the 2006 Sparkys this story was 2nd place in Best AU and 3rd place in Best Future Fic.

Chapter 2

Crais didn't know what to make of Crichton's story. It seemed far-fetched, but Aeryn was alive. He had seen her pod disintegrate. There was no way she could have survived. As his techs had nothing to report on the phenomenon that had brought Talyn to this place. It seemed he had no choice but to accept wormhole theory.

Crichton stared at Crais. He was unwilling to speak, afraid that if he said too much it would turn Crais against them. The last thing they needed was another enemy.

When Crais finally spoke it was not the answer Crichton was expecting. "I have to return to Talyn. When repairs are complete, I will contact you about returning to my reality." Crais left with the guards in tow.

Crichton stared at the door. He supposed it was a good outcome. He didn't have a new enemy, at least he didn't think so. He left in search of Aeryn. Perhaps she had learned something useful.

&&&&&&&&&

Aeryn was in command, staring out the viewport at Talyn. He was much larger than she remembered, even larger than Moya, but this Talyn was three cycles older than the one she had last seen. She had saved Velorek, convinced him not to sabotage the project.

Crichton entered command and saw Aeryn staring out the viewport, lost in thought. "Hey, babe. How you doing?" When she didn't answer he placed his hand on her shoulder. "Aeryn? You okay?"

She jumped when he touched her. How long had she been standing there? "Fine. I'm fine."

He didn't find her answer very convincing. "Are you sure?"

She quickly changed the subject. "Is Crais gone?"

"Headed back to Talyn. Did the techs hurt Moya?"

"No. She and Pilot willingly helped them. They were careful about what they took."

"Peacekeepers treating a Leviathan with respect? That doesn't seem right to me."

"These aren't the Peacekeepers that we knew," she said defensively.

"Hey, sorry, I didn't mean anything by it." He wondered why she was being so touchy about the Peacekeepers.

"What did you learn from Crais?"

"Not too much. This Crais isn't that much different from ours back when he was a Peacekeeper. I think this first meeting went a lot better than the one I had with our Crais, though. The gunship project succeeded."

"I heard that from the tech." She carefully chose to omit his name.

"Did you learn anything else?"

"Apparently the gunships gave the Peacekeepers the advantage Crais expected over the Scarrans. The balance of power has swung towards the Peacekeepers. I didn't get much more than that. There wasn't a lot of time. Are you going to help Crais?"

"He doesn't belong here. If there's one thing I learned from Einstein, it's that being in the wrong reality is a bad thing."

"Of course."

"Aeryn, that's not our Talyn. Our Talyn is gone."

"I know."

He knew something was bothering her. She had spent more time looking out the viewport than at him. "Aeryn…" he began but didn't get any further as the others entered command.

"What the hezmana is going on here?" growled D'Argo. "What do the Peacekeepers want?"

"They want to go home and we're going to help them," said John.

"Just like that? They imprisoned us and you're still going to help them?"

"Quickest way to get rid of them, D," John said as he checked the sensor display.

"He's got a point," said Chi. "So how long until we do get rid of them?"

"Dunno. Crais wasn't very forthcoming, but I got the impression it would be several arns before Talyn's repaired."

"What do we do in the mean time?" Chi asked.

"Not much. Talyn's armed. Just wait until they're ready to leave."

"That's not much of a plan," quipped Rygel.

"Come on, Sparky, this is us. When have we ever had a good plan?"

"He has a point," said D'Argo.

"They won't hurt us," said Aeryn.

"How do you know that?" asked D'Argo.

"I spent time with one of the techs. Techs don't have anything to hide. He had no reason to lie to me. He knows Crais and I believe him when he says they just want to fix Talyn and go back to where they came from."

"And we're just supposed to trust the word of a tech?"

"We have to trust someone."

D'Argo growled and stormed out of command. Chiana followed after him. Rygel sat in his throne sled smirking and chuckling to himself.

"What's so funny?" John asked.

"Oh nothing," Rygel said as he left.

John was torn between trying to figure out what was bothering and Aeryn and what Rygel was hiding. He thought he might have better luck with Rygel. "Yo! Sparky!" he yelled as he jogged after the Hynerian. "What are you hiding?"

"Nothing," he chuckled as he continued down the passageway.

"Rygel, don't go hiding things from us."

"This in no way puts us or Moya in danger."

He was quickly losing patience. "Then what is it?"

"I think I know why she trusts the tech."

"How could you know that? You were locked in your cell."

He chuckled again. "You know how…resourceful I am. I was using Moya's sensors to keep an eye on the Peacekeepers."

Crichton shoved Rygel against the bulkhead. "Quit it with the games, Buckwheat. Just tell me."

"One of the techs is Lt. Velorek." Rygel gave this fact a moment to sink in.

"Velorek," Crichton whispered.

"The same Velorek from her past," Rygel added.

Crichton looked back towards command. What had this Velorek told her? He turned back to command to find out. Aeryn was still staring at Talyn when he entered. He was trying to decide how to broach the subject when Pilot announced, "Crichton, there is another energy spike."

He rushed over to the sensors and Aeryn joined him. "What is it?" she asked.

"Looks like the wormhole is opening back up."

"More Peacekeepers? I thought you said the wormhole was gone?"

"I don't know. Pilot, what do Moya's sensors say?"

"Inconclusive at this time. Talyn's Prowlers are deploying."

Aeryn started to run out of command.

"Where are you going?" John asked.

"If it's a threat we need all the help we can get."

"What about Talyn?"

"His main guns are out of commission right now."

"Aeryn, you don't need to go. There's a whole squadron of Prowlers out there."

"I can't take that chance."

"Aeryn!" he shouted sternly.

"John, I know he's not our Talyn, but I have to protect him." She ran out of command.

Crichton slammed his hand against the console. He needed to talk to her, but she was running away. She was acting very strange since Talyn's arrival.

&&&&&&&&

Crais had just walked into command when he received the report. "Captain, sensors have detected an energy signature identical to the anomaly that brought us here."

He walked over to the panel and checked the sensors. "Deploy the fighters." Alarms sounded throughout Talyn as the Prowlers and combat pods were deployed. He forced himself not to pace. Talyn had the best fighter squadron in his carrier group. They would be prepared for whatever came through the wormhole. He watched his fighters take up position and waited.

&&&&&&&&

Aeryn slid her Prowler into formation with the others. She had shut off her comms with Moya. John was pleading for her to return, but she would do what she could to defend Talyn and Moya from whatever threat came through the wormhole.

&&&&&&&&

"What is it now?" D'Argo asked as he came running into the maintenance bay.

"There's another wormhole opening and Aeryn's taken off in her Prowler to join Talyn's Prowlers in their defensive role. We need to take Lo'la out there."

"What sort of threat is it?"

"I don't know. Pilot hasn't got any sensor readings on what's coming out of the wormhole, but we can't leave her out there."

"Okay, let's go."

As Lo'la was departing Pilot commed them, I"Moya's sensors show that a Scarran frigate is exiting the wormhole."/I

"D'Argo, man, we have to hurry. Those Prowlers don't stand much of a chance against something that big."

"I know."

&&&&&&&&

"Captain, it's a Scarran frigate."

Crais wondered briefly how they could have followed him, but he had other things to consider at this moment. "Order the fighters into attack formation brekan, the combat pods are to take the lead."

"Yes, sir."

He watched as the fighters executed his order. He noticed that there was one more Prowler than he was expecting. "Lieutenant, where did the extra Prowler come from?"

She checked her sensors. "It came from Moya. There is an unidentified ship leaving Moya and proceeding to the frigate."

Crais scowled and hoped that whatever ship that was wouldn't interfere with the tactics of his pilots. "How long until it arrives?"

"One hundred microts."

&&&&&&&&

As John and D'Argo approached, they watched the battle unfolding. Talyn's fighters moved in precise formations, conducting coordinated attacks on the Scarran frigate as soon as it was clear of the wormhole. The fighters had the upper hand since the Scarrans had not been prepared for battle. Unfortunately the Scarrans regrouped quickly and it wasn't long before Scarran fighters started joining the fray. A majority of them were destroyed as they launched, but enough made it out that they began taking their toll on the Prowlers and combat pods.

D'Argo could see John flinch every time a Prowler took a hit. At this distance they couldn't identify Aeryn's from any other Prowler. D'Argo powered up Lo'la's weapons as they closed the distance to the frigate.

Once within range, D'Argo tried to maneuver for a clear shot, but it was difficult with all the fighters.

"Hurry up, D'Argo," urged John.

"I'm trying. I want to make sure I have a clear shot."

John activated the comms, "Crais, pull back your fighters. We can destroy the frigate, but we don't want to risk hitting any of your pilots." This request was met with silence.

&&&&&&&&

Crais stared in disbelief at the battle in front of him. His fighters were taking casualties, but they were holding their own. He couldn't believe that a ship that small would claim to be able to destroy a frigate.

"Captain?"

"Do not break off the attack."

"_Captain Crais, I need you to trust us. Pull back for just a couple of microts. We don't want to see anything happen to Talyn or Moya_."

He waited a few microts. "Lieutenant, have the fighters regroup and implement attack pattern velka." That should give Crichton the time to implement whatever plan he had. He watched in disbelief as the frigate was engulfed in a blinding light and then simply ceased to exist. He could hear himself mutter, "By Cholak." He never would have imagined that something that small would possess that much destructive power. "Recall the fighters. Deploy ships as necessary to tow back the wounded." He left command and went to his quarters to contemplate what he had just seen.

&&&&&&&&

Velorek was working on repairs when one of the other techs came running up to him. "Lieutenant, you need to get down to med bay."

"I'm a little busy right now. Perhaps later."

The tech tugged on his arm. "You need to get there. Now."

He was about to jerk his arm free when he looked into the tech's eyes. He knew this was important. He turned to his assistant. "I'll be back as soon as I can." He then headed to medical. As he got closer he picked up his pace, the sense of urgency in the tech's voice echoing in his mind. He could only imagine that something had happened to his son.

He grabbed the first med tech he saw, "What's going on?"

The tech was confused. One of the doctors saw him, "Lieutenant, come with me."

"What is it, Doctor?" he asked, the panic clear in his voice.

"They brought her back onboard. Her Prowler was shot up pretty bad. We have her stabilized, but all we can do now is watch and wait. I don't know how she ended up here."

Velorek was momentarily confused until he realized the doctor was talking about Aeryn. "Where is she?" he asked.

"In there," the doctor pointed at one of the wards.

He shoved past the doctor and entered the ward. He scanned the room quickly, scared by what he might find. He had already lost her once.

&&&&&&&&

"D'Argo, where's Aeryn's Prowler?" John asked.

D'Argo worked the scanners. "I don't see it."

"It wasn't destroyed, was it?"

"I do not believe so. Wait, it's being towed back to Talyn."

"Follow her," John urged.

"I think we should contact Crais first. He might not appreciate us just showing up."

"Yeah, you're probably right." He activated the comms. "Captain Crais this is Commander Crichton." He opted for formality. If he wanted a favor, he had to play his cards right.

"_What is it, Crichton?_" came Crais' terse reply.

"Always friendly, isn't he?" John asked before reopening the comms channel. "One of the Prowlers you brought onboard Talyn belongs to Ae…Officer Sun. We'd like to come onboard and see how she's doing."

There were several long microts of silence before Crais replied. "Come in an unarmed transport pod."

John stared at D'Argo in disbelief. "Why that ungrateful… We just saved his ass. Let's head back to Moya."

When they landed, Chiana and Stark were waiting for them. "Where's Aeryn?" she asked.

"They towed her Prowler back to Talyn. Crais wouldn't let us over in Lo'la." John said as he was walking towards a pod.

"I'm coming with you," she said.

John turned to face both of them. "It's probably best if you don't come. You both know how Peacekeepers feel about aliens."

"But if Aeryn's hurt," she protested.

"Pip, this is for your own good. Aeryn knows that you would be there if you could." He looked into her eyes and saw the hurt. He hadn't meant to snap at her. He walked up to her and placed his hand on her arm. "Look, I'm sorry. We're all worried about Aeryn. I'm just trying to keep everyone as safe as I can. And I think that means having as few of us on Talyn as possible."

"Okay. You're going to bring her back, right?"

"You better believe it."

&&&&&&&&

Crais went to check on repairs. He was surprised that Velorek was not in the propulsion cluster. He glared at the first tech he saw and barked, "Where is Lt. Velorek?"

The tech snapped to attention. "He went to med bay, Captain."

"Is he injured?"

"No, sir."

Crais stormed out of the cluster and headed for med bay. He was furious that his lead tech had abandoned his post. As he entered med bay he called out, "Doctor, where is Lt. Velorek?"

The doctor cringed at the amount of commotion Crais was causing, but knew better than to chastise his captain. "He is in ward two captain."

"And what...exactly is wrong with him?"

The doctor hurried to keep up with Crais. "Nothing, Captain, its Senior Officer Sun. He's with her."

Crais froze in his tracks. Because of the vital role Velorek had played in the gunship program, Crais had allowed him special privileges. "What is her condition?"

"She is stable. I believe she will survive." The doctor was relieved that Crais' temper seemed to have waned somewhat.

Crais entered the ward without saying anything further. He saw Velorek sitting at Aeryn's bedside, holding her hand. "Lieutenant," Crais said.

Velorek spun around and stood at attention. "Captain." He wasn't sure if he was in trouble or not.

Crais looked at Aeryn and then back at Velorek. "How are repairs progressing?"

"Weapons should be back on line shortly, propulsion within the half arn. I'll return to my post." He started to leave but stopped when Crais raised a hand.

He knew that Velorek regarded Aeryn as family, and he knew how important family was. He knew how he would behave if something had happened to Tauvo. "Can they finish repairs without your assistance?"

"Yes, sir."

"Then you may remain with her."

"Thank you, sir," Velorek whispered to Crais' retreating back.

Crais had just left med bay when he received word a transport pod was approaching from Moya. He decided to meet his 'guest' in the hangar.

&&&&&&&&

When John landed he wondered why Crais was there to personally greet him. Crais had a decidedly unhappy look on his face. "You said there was no wormhole here. That it had closed. I think the appearance of the Scarran ship proves otherwise. Do you have an explanation?"

"I haven't had time to analyze data yet. I'd like to see Officer Sun first."

"I would think the data analysis would be more important. There could be more Scarran ships that follow that one. While your ship is powerful, could it take on a Dreadnought? Even Talyn cannot take on a Dreadnought on his own."

John didn't have an answer for that.

"Senior Officer Sun is stable. My techs will take you where you can analyze the data. Once you have provided me with an answer, you may see her." Crais turned to leave.

"Hey, deal was we do this on my terms." John could see the guards in the area train weapons on him.

Crais turned on John, a scowl upon his face. He closed the distance between the two of them and pointed his finger at John. "It was on your terms before your information was in error. I will not risk my ship because you are letting your emotions rule your behavior. Need I remind you that you are on my ship now? I have the leverage."

John understood the silent threat. He knew that Crais had everything he needed from Moya. The Peacekeeper Crais from their reality had been ruthless. He had no reason to doubt this one was any different. He took on a less threatening stance. "Fine. Let me look at the data you have and see what I can learn."

&&&&&&&&

Velorek was waiting for Aeryn to wake when he heard main propulsion come on line. He hoped to be able to convince her to stay, but he knew time was short. Crais would want to leave as soon as possible. He saw her eyes start to flutter. He wrapped his hands around hers.

Aeryn opened her eyes to see Velorek smiling warmly at her.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"What happened?" she asked hoarsely.

He handed her a cup of water. "Your Prowler was damaged in the battle. You're safe onboard Talyn. You're going to be fine."

She tried to get up. "I need to get back to Moya."

He pushed her gently back against the bed. "What you need is a few arns rest to recover."

She continued to fight against him. "John'll be worried about me. I need to let him know I'm okay."

He cringed slightly, but gently brushed her hair. "Rest. I'll make sure he's notified." He left to find one of the med techs to pass the message on. It appeared she had a lover. He would still try to win her back. He found a second tech. "Find my son and bring him here," he ordered.

&&&&&&&&

Talyn's higher functions were just coming back on line when alarms. Crais rushed to command. There was another wormhole forming. "Is starburst on line?" he asked.

"No, sir. Not until Talyn's higher functions are fully restored."

"Launch the fighters. Move into attack position." His crew carried out his orders without question. He saw Crichton run into command. "Commander, it seems that this wormhole is not closed. What is your explanation?"

"I don't know. I've never had problems predicting wormholes before. I haven't had enough time to fully analyze the data yet."

"Captain, this ship seems larger than the last," the deck officer reported.

"Why don't we starburst?" asked John.

"Talyn cannot starburst without his higher functions on line."

"Oh that's just great. Can we destroy this ship? Run?"

Crais ignored John. "Do we have readings yet?"

"Coming in now, sir." There was a pause as deck officer analyzed the readings. "It's a cruiser," she replied quietly.

Crais knew it was long odds they would come out victorious against a ship of that size, especially without a full compliment of fighters. He had lost seven in the first engagement. "Attack pattern gelt, bring all batteries to bear."

"You're going to attack?" John asked in disbelief.

"Our only advantage is in striking the first blow. Retreat is not an option. You can be of no assistance in this battle. Return to your sensor readings to find a way to return us to our reality and stop the Scarrans."

John was beginning to fear that the Scarrans knew more about wormholes in Crais' reality than they did in this one. He could see Crais turn and glare at him and decided to head back to lab.


	4. Chapter 3

Even before the Scarran ship was out of the wormhole, Talyn was maneuvered into position for a strafing run. Crais could feel Talyn's disorientation and sense of panic as his higher functions came back on line. _Talyn, remain calm. The crew is taking care of you._

As Talyn tried to interpret the sensor information, he became more confused by the sheer volume of information. _What's going on? Where are we? Who are we attacking?_

Crais could feel the sense of panic rising. This was not a good time for Talyn's higher functions to come back on line_. There is a Scarran threat that must be destroyed. There is no time to explain. Watch and learn. Once we have dealt with the Scarrans I will have time to explain_. He could feel Talyn beginning to probe his mind. _Talyn, no. You must wait. All our lives depend on it_. He did his best to exude cool confidence to the gunship, let Talyn know he was in control of the situation.

_I…will watch_, Talyn replied hesitantly.

Crais then turned his attention back to the battle. They were close enough for the first shot. "Fire! Launch all fighters when we turn." He watched as first Talyn's forward cannons and then rear cannons fired on the Scarran ship. As they were turning for a second run he ordered, "Damage report."

"Captain, they have sustained a fifty percent loss of propulsion. One of their main guns is down. Several small hull breeches. They are launching fighters and turning to put their strong side towards us."

It was a good start, but it might not be good enough. "Begin the second run, have the fighters follow us in." As the battle raged, Crais could feel himself becoming one with Talyn. His sense of the battle came directly from the gunship's sensors. He directed the actions of the fighters and Talyn's movements with his eyes closed. He could see his crew performing exactly as they were trained. There was no lost motion. Damage control efforts were quick and efficient. Sebacean worked alongside DRD in perfect harmony.

Without warning the Scarran ship ceased firing. Crais pulled his forces back and opened his eyes. He moved forward to the sensor console and began checking readings. They didn't make any sense. He reached back for his transponder.

"Captain, sensors show all life readings on the Scarran ship are gone. But…there's no hull breach. Not one big enough to take out the entire crew," reported a very confused Lt. Teeg.

"Man a Marauder. I want a security team over there to confirm readings."

"Aye, sir."

"Get Commander Crichton up here." He could see one of the techs run out of command to carry out his order.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Once battle stations sounded, Aeryn tried to get out of bed.

Velorek held her down, "Where do you think you are going?"

"To protect Talyn. They're going to need all the pilots they can get."

"You're in no condition to fly. Talyn will be fine without you."

She was too weak to fight against him. "Why have you chosen to be my protector?"

He smiled warmly at her, "Because I know how hard headed you can be."

"I am not hard headed. I don't even belong here. Actually, you don't belong here." She could see the hurt in his eyes. "Velorek, we come from different realities. I'm not the person that you knew and you're not the person I knew."

"I know that. But don't you think that there might be a chance for the two of us?"

She placed a hand on his cheek. "You need to go back to your reality and I need to stay here."

He held her hand to his cheek. He was trying to think of what to say next when a young cadet entered. When the cadet saw her, he ran up to her and jumped on the bed and hugged her.

Aeryn responded very stiffly.

Velorek gently pulled the cadet off her. "Easy Kareth. She's been injured."

Kareth sat back in Velorek's lap. His eyes locked with Aeryn's. They were the same smoky gray as hers. She knew who he was.

"Where have you been?" Kareth asked.

"Not now, son. Let her rest. She's been through a lot."

Kareth turned to look at his father. "She's going to be all right, isn't she?"

"Just fine," Velorek reassured.

Kareth looked back at Aeryn. "I'm glad you're back. I missed you, mother."

Aeryn choked back the emotions she felt. Her own pregnancy was still in stasis.

"Why don't you get back to your lesson? I'm sure your instructor is expecting your return. I'll see you at evening meal."

"Yes, father." Kareth leaned over and kissed Aeryn before he left.

Aeyrn watched him go. "Crais allows this?"

"I'm allowed special privileges because of what I did for the gunship project. Because it's Crais, no one says anything. I spend most of my time on Talyn and Kareth is part of the cadet class here. He's done very well on his aptitude testing. It looks like he will be accepted into the pilot program. He wants to fly the new combat pods." Just like his mother, he added silently.

Aeryn was about to ask about the combat pod when Talyn began the first attack run. Velorek squeezed her hand gently. "I need to go. Remain here. I'll be back."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

John was nearing a breakthrough when a tech came running in. "Sir, you are needed in command."

He waved his hand. "In a microt."

"No, sir, now."

"Quiet. I said in a microt. I'm almost there."

The tech was growing nervous. This was taking too long. "Commander, the captain has ordered you to command. I would not make him wait. He was quite insistent."

John could tell that he wasn't going to be able to get anything else down. He had lost his train of thought. He slammed his palms on the console in frustration and stood up. "Okay, fine, I'm coming." He followed the tech back up to command.

When they arrived he saw Crais staring at a sensor panel. "Okay, Crais, what's so important that you pulled me away from the research you want me to do?"

Crais bristled at the familiarity. "You will address me as Captain. And the reason you are here is because in the middle of the battle, the Scarrans stopped fighting and there are now no lifesigns coming from their ship."

"Great, you won. For this you called me up here?"

"I do not know that we won. Their ship did not sustain enough damage to kill all those onboard. I have sent a Marauder team to investigate. That is why you are here. I need you to interpret their sensor readings."

"The Marauder's landing now, sir," reported Teeg. She activated the screen and placed the video from the lead soldier on it.

Everyone in command watched in silence, waiting to see what would be found. The security team swept the hangar. There were no bodies and no sign of life. The team moved out into the corridor. There was still no sign of life, but the ship seemed to be functioning normally.

"Move towards command," Crais ordered. He didn't like this. There should be some sign of the Scarrans. As the commandos continued through the ship, they did see an occasional body, but the corridors were empty.

When the door to command opened, there were puddles of goo everywhere, but only two bodies. "Where are the Scarrans?" Crais asked.

John was staring at the goo. He knew what had happened to the Scarrans. "The goo," he said quietly.

Crais turned to face him. "What?"

"The goo. They all turned to goo. It's a side effect of the wormhole."

Crais quickly closed the distance between the two of them until they were nose to nose. "What do you mean side effect? Is that the fate that awaits us?"

John was trying to watch the video. "No. If you were going to turn to goo it would have happened by now. Think about it, you've been here a lot longer than they have."

"Explain," Crais ordered.

"Tell you what, I'll give you a great explanation, but I need to get over there and view their sensor logs. They may have some information that could be useful. The sooner I get that information the better."

Crais gritted his teeth at the level of insubordination John was showing. "You may accompany the tech team when they go over to gather intelligence. Escort him to the hangar. Once the all clear is given the tech team may begin."

"Aye, sir," replied Teeg.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

D'Argo, Chiana, Rygel and Stark were in command when the third wormhole opened. "Pilot, what's coming through this one?" asked D'Argo.

"_Unknown, though it is much larger than the last ship_."

"We need to get out of here. Starburst," said Chiana.

"We will not abandon John and Aeryn," said D'Argo as he turned to leave.

Chiana grabbed him. "You're not going out there again."

"I have to help. That's John and Aeryn over there."

She pointed out the front viewscreen. "Look, Talyn's weapons are working again. He can handle it."

He turned to watch as Talyn strafed the Scarran cruiser exiting the wormhole.

Stark gripped the console he was standing closest to. "Not good. Scarrans coming. Shouldn't be here. Dead. We'll all be dead."

"What are you mumbling about?" Rygel asked.

Stark grabbed Rygel. "The Scarrans. It's bad. They could destroy us all."

Rygel slapped Stark's hands away. "You aren't making any sense, yet again."

Stark pointed at the viewscreen. "They aren't supposed to be here. None of them. Scarrans. Talyn. They don't belong. They are upsetting the balance. Especially the Scarrans. I need to talk to Crichton. He knows. He understands."

"Not likely," quipped Rygel.

Stark ran over and grabbed D'Argo. "You need to take me over there. I need to see Crichton."

D'Argo shoved Stark away. They had all thought this madness had stopped since Stark's return, but he was back to his normal flaky self. "You're not going anywhere while the battle is raging. It will have to wait."

Stark whined nervously, but he was unwilling to risk the Luxan's rage.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

John stared at the goo. He had seen the results from Scorpius' wormhole tests. This was the same thing that had happened to those pilots without the benefit of shielding. It seemed that there was something in the physiology of Leviathans that protected the inhabitants. Of course, they had traveled through a wormhole in Lo'la and not been liquefied, so it wasn't an entirely sound theory.

The tech team was combing through the Scarran ship to get as much information on the technology as possible, especially shielding and weapons. He got the impression that Peacekeepers had never been able to study a Scarran ship in this much detail. He moved to one of the unused consoles and tapped into the Scarran sensor logs. One of the techs had given him a recording device that would save all the information he needed.

He lost track of time as he dug through the memory banks of the ship. He stumbled upon something interesting and jumped out of his seat and ran out of command.

"Commander!" shouted the lead tech. "Frell." He turned to one of the guards, "Follow him."

The guard complied without question.

John ran along the corridors, following the map in his mind. He reached a door and tried to activate the door. When it didn't open he beat that the control panel.

The guard caught up to him, "Sir, is something wrong?"

John saw the pulse rifle the guard was holding. "Shoot the door," he ordered.

The guard was confused. This was not the type of order he expected. It was even more unexpected when John grabbed at his rifle. The guard pulled it clear.

"Shoot the frelling door. I need to see what's on the other side," John insisted.

The guard leveled his rifle and John stood back. It took four shots to bring the door down to the point where John could squeeze through. He could hear the guard telling him to get out of the way. "There's no one alive but us," he mumbled.

He looked around the lab for the main console. When he found it, he sat down and went to work extracting information. After nearly an arn, he was able to get into the system. He was barely aware of the presence of the guard. What he saw before him scared him. These Scarrans were working to harness wormholes and they were close. He felt the ship lurch around him. "What's going on?" he asked.

His guard replied, "Main propulsion has been reactivated. We are moving the ship away from the area of the anomaly for further study."

"Right." He grabbed his recorder and headed out the door. "I need to get back to Talyn." He needed to compare the information on the wormhole from the Scarran ship with what Talyn had recorded. He didn't like this whole situation.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Crais was in his quarters reviewing the damage reports when Talyn informed him the transport was returning, but with only two passengers. _It's Crichton_, Talyn informed him.

Crais wondered if the scientist had an answer. "Lt. Teeg, have Commander Crichton escorted to my quarters when he returns."

"_Yes, sir_," she replied.

John stormed into Crais quarters ahead of his escort. "They have wormholes! Well, not quite, but they're getting close."

"What do you mean?" Crais wanted clarification.

"Your Scarrans are really damn close to unlocking wormhole technology. They haven't figured the shielding out, but it's only a matter of time. Hopefully their best scientists were destroyed on that ship. If not, your reality is in trouble."

"Do you have a proposal?"

"What do you mean?" John asked.

"You claim to be the expert on wormholes. They are some things that we know nothing about."

"Hey, I've got my own wars to fight. I don't need to fight yours."

Crais stood and paced around John. "From what you have said about wormholes, my fight may become yours. What is to keep them from becoming your problem?"

John was about to argue when he realized that Crais was right. "Damn it. I hate it when you're right." He rubbed his lip with his thumb as he thought. "I have to think about this. Let me look at the data I confiscated and see how much they lost. Just keep in mind that knowledge is hard to destroy."

"Not if you kill the person with the knowledge."

"So what, you want to infiltrate Scarran space and kill them. You must be insane." John had lost track of the number of times he had thought that about Crais.

Crais leaned in close to John. "I want you to use your wormhole knowledge to put us in the heart of Scarran territory so we can destroy their research."

"Now I know you're insane," John replied quietly.

Crais smiled slyly, "On the contrary, it's brilliant. They will never expect it."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

John returned to Moya in a daze. He couldn't believe he was actually contemplating going along with Crais' plan. The others met him in the maintenance bay.

"How's Aeryn?" Chiana asked.

Before John could answer Stark rushed up and grabbed him by the collar. "You have to send Talyn back. Destroy the wormhole or we'll all be dead," he raved.

"Stark, get off me. What are you ranting about now?"

"The Scarrans. They never should have been here. It's bad. Very bad. You have to stop them. You're the only one who can."

"Is this something you've seen or are you just being paranoid?" John asked.

"He's being fahrbot as usual," replied Rygel.

Stark turned to Rygel. "You don't know anything. You don't understand. You never did." He spun back to face John, his voice calmer, but still filled with a sense of urgency. "I've seen it. Through the wormhole I glimpsed the future. Our future, their future, the combined future if the Scarrans aren't stopped."

"I thought the Peacekeepers had used the gunships to gain the advantage?" asked D'Argo.

"They did," replied John. "Unfortunately it looks like the Scarrans are on the verge of mastering wormholes. That's what I learned on the Scarran ship. They don't have the shielding, but they are getting close. Stark's right we need to stop them."

"It's not our war," said Chiana.

"Yes, it is. Wormhole technology must be protected at all cost. If the Scarrans, in any reality, master it, none of us will be safe. They made it here once, they can make it here again."

"So we're going to help the Peacekeepers?" growled D'Argo.

"There isn't a better option," said John.

"So, how's Aeryn?" Chiana asked.

John threw his hands up, "Oh, frell! Crais wouldn't let me see her when I first got there. He assured me that she was going to be fine. I came back here to start on the plan to destroy the Scarrans."

"Destroy the Scarrans? Are you fahrbot? We couldn't even do that here," said Rygel.

"We may not have destroyed them, but we destroyed Katratzi and that's weakened them. What I found in their databanks indicates that their research base is on Katratzi."

"Need I remind you that we almost didn't survive being on Katratzi?" added Rygel.

"Yeah, but we didn't have an entire Peacekeeper fleet with us. The only reason the Peacekeepers haven't destroyed it is because they don't know where it is. We can give them that information. I can take them there through a wormhole. We'd destroy it before they had a chance to respond."

"So you're talking about going with them?" asked Chiana.

"I have to. No one else can get them there."

"What about their ships? What about them turning into goo?" she asked.

"It'll just have to be the gunships. Something in a Leviathan protects it inhabitants. I won't give them the shielding, but there are enough gunships that we should have no problem succeeding."

"And what if they want you to give them wormholes? What if they won't let you go?" D'Argo asked.

"Don't worry, I won't give it to them."

"They are Peacekeepers. They cannot be trusted," shouted D'Argo.

"Well what am I supposed to do? Einstein and the Ancients trusted me to protect this secret. That's what I have to do."

"You are not protecting it if you give it to the Peacekeepers,' D'Argo argued.

"They can't get it from me. I've proven that."

"What about Aeryn?" Chiana asked.

"She'll understand. She knows that this information must be protected."

"Are you going to go back and get her?" Chiana asked.

"Not right now. We need to find a wormhole." He walked past everyone and towards command.

Stark whispered, "He will save us."

"What's wrong with him? Why doesn't he go back for Aeryn?" Chiana asked.

"I intend to find out," replied D'Argo as he followed after John.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Aeryn was feeling stronger and was eager to return to Moya. She saw a uniform sitting on the chair next to her bed and changed into it. She was getting ready to walk out of med bay when she heard a voice behind her. "Would you like me to give you a tour of Talyn now that you are feeling better?"

She turned to see Velorek standing in the door. "I need to get back to Moya. My place is over there."

He tried not to sound too disappointed. "I just thought that you might like to see a fully grown Talyn. The gunships are truly magnificent creatures."

"I know they are." She remembered her few brief hours when she was joined with Talyn. "This isn't my place. I don't belong here and we both know that."

He had moved closer and now stroked her arm with his hand. "It could be your place. You could have a life here, one where you don't have to run and hide like a criminal, one where you belong."

"I belong here. I have a life here, a purpose." A family, she thought.

He whispered as he caressed her cheek, "We had something special. Don't you want to experience that again?" He knew she had felt guilty over her betrayal.

She turned away from him. He was her past. John was her present, her future. "I can't. I moved on. I have John now." She turned back to face him. "You are my past. I'm not proud of what I did, but I did what I had to as a Peacekeeper. And do you know what the worst part of it is? I hear from you how much of a success the gunship project has been. How it has helped the Peacekeepers gain the upper hand over the Scarrans, how things are better for Sebaceans. How do you think I feel knowing that prevented that from happening in my reality?"

He reached out to touch her, "Aeryn…"

She slapped his hand away. "Don't tell me it's not my fault. I know that. I know I had no idea what Crais' project was. It doesn't matter. Here I see how things might have been. I'm going home now." She brushed past him on her way out of med bay. She barked at the first soldier she saw, "Have a transport ready to go to the Leviathan."

"Yes, ma'am," the soldier replied smartly before sprinting down the passageway.

Velorek jogged after her, "Aeryn, that's it? Just like that you're going to leave? What about your son?"

She stopped and faced him. "He's not my son. I'm not your Aeryn. I have a life here. I'm happy."

"You're happy running from the Peacekeepers, the Scarrans and who ever else? We're on the verge of victory against the Scarrans. You would have a better life."

"You don't get it. I told you that I have John. I love John. I'm carrying his baby. I need you to understand that I'm not your Aeryn and I can't replace her."

The truth finally seemed to sink in. Disappointment filled Velorek's eyes. "I didn't know."

"You wouldn't listen. You didn't want to listen. You wanted everything to be the way it was." She placed her hand on his cheek. "I'm not her and I can't be her. Remember her and forget me." She walked towards the hangar.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

John was in command at the table working on the plan to destroy the Scarran base. Pilot interrupted him, "Commander, a transport from Talyn is arriving. Aeryn is on it."

Aeryn, how could he have forgotten? "Thanks, Pilot." He ran towards the maintenance bay to meet her. He was relieved that she appeared to be all right. He smiled warmly at her. "Aeryn, I'm glad you're back." He wrapped her in his arms. "How do you feel?"

She nuzzled into his chest. "Fine." It felt good to be in his arms. She was beginning to wish that she had never been over on Talyn. Too many memories were surfacing. She thought that she had gotten over the guilt of Velorek's death, but she had never known how different things might have been. "It feels good to be back on Moya. Is she okay?"

"Yeah, she's fine. The Scarrans never touched her." He paused trying to decide how to continue. "We need to go after the Scarrans, stop them from their wormhole research."

She pulled back. "What are you saying?"

"I'm going back with Talyn. I'm going to help Crais destroy Katratzi."

"Are you insane? We barely survived that the first time."

"I saw the research on the Scarran cruiser. They're getting close. They haven't perfected the shields, but it's only a matter of time. No one can be allowed to have the secret of wormholes."

She sighed. "I know. What do the others think?"

"That I'm fahrbot. I won't make them come. I'll take my module over to Talyn so I can return when I'm done."

As much as she didn't want to be around Velorek because of the memories he provoked, she wouldn't let John face the Peacekeepers alone. "I'm coming with you."

* * *

**A/N:** I hope that everyone is enjoying this AU look at how things might have been if John had never arrived in the UT and if Aeryn had never sold out Velorek. This was my first really big AU fic. :) 


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Crais paced his quarters impatiently. He hated having no control over a situation. He also wasn't sure what to make of John Crichton. He had a hard time trusting those not Peacekeeper.

What's bothering you? asked Talyn.

"The news I've heard of the Scarrans. Just when it seemed that our victory was assured, I learn that the Scarrans have nearly finished a weapon that will destroy us all. Now I find myself trusting a stranger. Even more troubling is the fact that Senior Officer Sun is not a Peacekeeper in this reality. They have not been entirely honest with me." He hit his comms panel. "Lt. Teeg, send Lt. Velorek to my quarters." He wanted to see if the tech could provide him with any information he might be missing.

Velorek entered Crais' quarters and stood at attention at the desk. "Lt. Velorek reporting as ordered, Captain."

"You spent some time with Senior Officer Sun. What did you learn about her reality?"

"Very little beyond the fact that she did not stop me from sabotaging the gunship project."

Crais arched an eyebrow at this revelation. He had not realized that Lt. Velorek had once been on the verge of treason, but that was unimportant to their current discussion. Velorek had proven his loyalty numerous times over the cycles. "I know some of how she came to be on the Leviathan. Supposedly, she was declared irreversibly contaminated for the time she spent amongst the prisoners. That alone would not be enough. The prisoners were all documented species."

Velorek thought for a few microts and offered, "Perhaps they convinced her of something that compromised her Peacekeeper beliefs."

"You spent time with her, does that seem likely?"

"No, sir, it doesn't."

Crais began pacing again. "I do not entirely trust John Crichton. None of them have been entirely honest with us. Unfortunately, he is the only one that has the means to get us home and destroy the Scarrans. I need to know the truth. I need to know whether or not to trust them. Work with them. Find the truth."

"Yes, sir."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

John and Aeryn called everyone to Pilot's chamber. "As you saw, Crais' Scarrans seem to have more knowledge of wormholes than our Scarrans. I saw some of their research. I can't let them master wormhole travel. It would be devastating to everyone. In order to stop them, I will be returning on Talyn to Crais' reality to lead the gunship fleet to Katratzi to destroy all the Scarran research."

"It's a fool's mission, John. You don't even know that Katratzi is the Scarran base in Crais' reality," said D'Argo.

"I do. I saw it in databanks on the Scarran ship."

"And you're going to go alone?" Chiana asked.

"I'm going with him," added Aeryn.

"I don't want any of you coming with us. You already know how the Peacekeepers feel about non-Sebaceans. The fact that D'Argo, Stark and Rygel are escaped prisoners probably doesn't sit well with them either."

"Good, because I have no intention of risking my life on this fahrbot plan," said Rygel.

Chiana smacked him. "Well…what if we want to help?"

"I'll need you to stay here and guard the wormhole we travel through. There are those in both realities that are after them. Lo'la will be the perfect ship to guard the entrance."

"Are you sure you have to do this?" Chiana asked.

"Yeah, Pip, I am."

She stepped forward and kissed him on the cheek. "Well then, I guess I'll see you when you get back."

"We'll be back before you know it."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Aeryn didn't say much as they packed their things. John was still looking for the right opportunity to ask her about Velorek. This looked like the best opportunity he would get. "Aeryn, is something bothering you about this mission?"

"Aside from the fact that we are risking our lives for wormholes and going to destroy Katratzi again, no."

John could sense the hesitation in her voice. "Are you sure?"

She was purposefully not looking at him. "Yes."

He paused and rubbed his lips with his thumb. "Rygel told me that Velorek was the tech that came onboard." He saw her pause, but she didn't say anything. "I know that you said you loved him. Does it bother you being near him?"

She stuffed clothes in her bag. "No. He's part of my past now. I've worked past that." She turned to face him with a forced smile, "You are my present."

He could tell that she was holding something back from him. "What did the your other self have with him?"

"It isn't important. That wasn't me."

John knew that pushing her would get him nothing. She would tell him when she was ready. "Are you just about ready?"

She picked up her bag. "Ready."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Crais had sent Lt. Teeg to meet the two of them. John was somewhat disappointed. "I would have thought the Captain would be here."

"He has more important things to attend to," she replied.

"More important than meeting the person who's going to save your eemas?"

"John," Aeryn whispered, urging him to be quiet.

"I suggest you realize that while you have a privileged position, you will still be considered a member of the crew. As such, there are certain…standards of behavior. I'm sure Senior Officer Sun could instruct you." She turned around and walked out of the hangar, leaving Aeryn and John to follow her.

"You see, there's a problem right there, she's not 'Senior Officer Sun' she's just plain Aeryn. She's not a Peacekeeper anymore."

Aeryn wished John would keep quiet. The less trouble he caused, the better. Unlike their time on the command carrier, there was a chance they could peacefully coexist with Talyn's crew.

"Regardless of that fact, I will not have either of you causing trouble." She stopped in front of a door. "Crichton, these will be your quarters."

He was opening his mouth when Aeryn elbowed him in the ribs.

"You already know where the laboratory is. If there is any tech support that you require, inform me and I will see that someone with the appropriate specialty is assigned to you."

"Thanks." He entered his room and threw his bag on the bed. It was a fairly Spartan room. There was a bed, dresser, small desk and computer station, and a door he supposed hid the bathroom. When he turned around he saw Teeg leading Aeryn down the passageway towards what would be her quarters. He decided his best course of action at this point was to go to the lab and work on finding a wormhole that could take them back to Crais' reality.

John tuned Talyn's sensors to search for wormholes. Shortly after he started, Crais joined him.

"What are you doing to Talyn's sensors?" he asked brusquely.

"Looking for wormholes. You want to get home, don't you?" John asked.

"I am…concerned about the modifications you are making." He was trying hard to maintain his patience.

John continued his adjustments. "Don't worry. I made the same modifications to Moya."

"And these modifications will enable Talyn to find wormholes?"

"Yeah, pretty much." He looked Crais in the eyes, "But don't get your hopes up too much. I'm the only one who can interpret the readings."

"How long until you are able to locate a wormhole?"

"I dunno. It depends how far it is until the next wormhole that goes where we want it." Crais turned and left without saying another word. "Nice talking to you," John mumbled.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Aeryn dropped her bag off in her room. She really didn't have much intention of spending a lot of time in her room. She left in search of John. She didn't get far before Velorek found her.

"Aeryn, I'm glad your back."

She continued walking, paying him as little attention as possible. "I'm here to help John in the plan to defeat the Scarrans."

He smiled his boyish grin at her. "Are you sure that's the only reason you are here?"

"Yes, it is. Look it's better for everyone if you realize how things stand. I love John. Period." She walked away in search of where John was working since he wasn't in his quarters. She only had to ask a couple of people before she located his lab.

He briefly glanced up from his work. "Hey, babe. Sorry I didn't wait for you."

She pulled up a stool. "I understand. Is there anything I can do help?"

"At the moment, no. I think the best thing you could do is brief Crais on what we know about Katratzi from our reality. I realize that it may not be the same, but there should be enough similarities."

She leaned over and kissed his cheek. "I'll come check on you in a little while."

He answered distractedly, "Okay, babe."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Aeryn had just finish briefing Crais on what she knew about Katratzi including it's vulnerabilities and was trying to relax a little in the officer's lounge. Talyn was larger than Moya and had many of the same amenities as a command carrier. She had already found a planetary simulation. Watching the camaraderie of the others, she was reminded of some of the things she had given up when she left the Peacekeepers, correction, was kicked out of the Peacekeepers.

One of the pilots joined her at her table. "You're from that other Leviathan, aren't you?" she asked.

"Yes," Aeryn replied suspiciously.

"Tera Kadex. Thought you might like some company. Why don't you come over and join us? That was some pretty good flying earlier."

Aeryn followed Tera over a few tables. "Thanks."

"Interesting tactics you used. Where'd you learn them?"

"Just a little something I've picked up along the way. You learn to improvise when you're out by yourself." By now they had reached the table.

Tera got the attention of the table, "Hey everyone, this is…"

One of the other officers stood and came around the table to embrace Aeryn. "Aeryn Sun, I never thought I'd see you again. Where have you been hiding?"

Once again Aeryn had no idea how to react. She had expected there would be others onboard who knew who she was, but she hadn't prepared a response for any of these meetings. She pulled away. "I know this is awkward, but I'm not the Aeryn Sun that you knew. It's complex and I really don't want to have to keep explaining it."

The Peacekeeper who had hugged her pulled away. "I'm sorry. None of us knew. Will you join us for a drink anyway?"

She smiled and joined them at the table, "Sure."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Over the course of the next few days Aeryn saw very little of John. She did her best to avoid Velorek, which was impressive with a crew as small as Talyn's.

Crais was growing increasingly impatient at the length of time it was taking to find a wormhole. He had summoned Aeryn to his quarters. When she arrived she found him cycling through displays on his screen. "Crichton does have the ability to find wormholes, doesn't he?"

"He does, sir. Why do you ask?"

"It has been four days and we are still in this reality. Each day that I spend away from the carrier group endangers the Sebacean way of life."

"I assure you he is working as fast as he can. Wormholes are not something that exist everywhere. They are very rare."

"I am quickly losing patience with his lack of progress. What must be done to speed up this process?"

"I'm afraid I can't help you, Captain. He is the only one that has any knowledge of wormholes."

Crais' further questioning was interrupted by Crichton over the comms, "_Hey, Crais, I found you a wormhole_."

He slammed his hand on the desk activating the comms circuit, "How far away is it?"

"_Not too far, we can be there in an arn. I'll meet you in command_."

Crais didn't comment as he rose from his desk and hurried towards command. Aeryn was left to follow in his wake.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

John had barely pulled up the display in command when Crais stormed in.

"Where is this wormhole?"

John highlighted an area of the star chart. "Right here. Looks like it's a stable one."

"This will get us back to our reality?"

"It should, but I won't know until I'm there."

"What does that mean?" Crais was growing irritated by the lack of a straight answer.

"It means wormholes are tricky. Unpredictable. Long-range scans will only show you so much. Scans period will only show you so much. When I get there, I'll be able to feel out the wormhole."

Crais rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Feel out the wormhole? You are not instilling me with confidence, Crichton."

"Look, I'm doing the best that I can. Take it or leave it. If you don't want our help, Aeryn and I will be on our way."

Crais was seething; it was all he could do to control his temper. "When we arrive at the wormhole, I will expect a full report."

The two of them watched Crais leave. Command was silent until the doors closed.

Aeryn pulled John into the corner. "You need to be careful around Crais. This one has the same temper that ours had back when he was a Peacekeeper."

"I know that. It's just that he's so difficult to work with."

"Try. Once we get into his reality, we're going to need his assistance. We both know that a Prowler cannot go through a wormhole safely."

"Yeah, I know. Look, I'm gonna get back to work. I want to make sure that I have the answers for him when we get there. The sooner we get this over with, the sooner things can get back to normal."

She leaned over and squeezed his hand before leaving. His wormhole obsession was taking over again.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Crais returned at the end of the arn. "I do not see a wormhole."

"It's there. They aren't always visible."

"What do we do to make it visible?" Crais asked.

"Patience, we just wait. It'll be visible in a little bit. In the meantime, I suggest everyone grab hold of something. This could be a bumpy ride."

Crais called for battle stations as John began counting down to the wormhole's arrival. As the countdown neared zero John moved to the controls. He would need to help guide Talyn through the wormhole to his destination.

The wormhole formed exactly where John had predicted.

"Talyn, enter the wormhole," ordered Crais.

The gunship did as he was told, entering the blue vortex, eager to return home.

John guided Talyn through the twists and turns of the wormhole while Crais worked to keep the gunship calm. "Trust Crichton. Follow his guidance."

Crichton chuckled to himself. He had a hard time believing what he was hearing.

After what seemed like an eternity the emerged into normal space. Immediately there was a flurry of activity in command.

The comms crackled to life. "_Captain Crai…this…_urat_…ear me? I repeat, Captain Crais this is _Churat, _can you hear me?_"

Crais smiled, "Yes, Brother, I hear you. I will be bringing a transport over shortly and explain where I have been." He secured communications.

John looked at Aeryn and whispered, "Did he say brother?"

"Yes, he did. Remember, you were never here," she whispered back.

"Commander Crichton, Officer Sun, we are leaving for _Churat_," he announced before leaving command.

"He has got to learn some people skills," said John as he and Aeryn followed.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Crais said nothing to them as they flew over to the command carrier. When they landed an honor guard met them. John felt a chill run down his spine as the scene looked too much like the last time he had been on this command carrier. He whispered to Aeryn, "Looks familiar, I just hope it has a different ending."

Crais and Tauvo embraced. "When we could no longer hear Talyn, we feared for your well being. Where have you been?"

Crais placed his arm around Tauvo's shoulder. "That is a very long story. I will explain it to you in my chambers."

"Should we follow?" John asked Aeryn.

She shrugged her shoulders, "I think it would be best."

Once they were in Crais' chambers they sat around a conference table as Crais poured drinks and explained his disappearance. Tauvo's eyes widened in increasing shock and disbelief.

Crais finished with, "Now I must present this to First Command. Commander Crichton agrees that the Scarrans cannot be allowed to develop wormholes. We will proceed to their secret base and destroy their research."

"Bialar, none of our ships have successfully penetrated Scarran space, not even the gunships," said Tauvo.

"That has all changed. With wormholes we will be upon them before they can react. We can destroy the Scarran threat once and for all." The thought of being the savior of the Sebacean race made him grin.

Tauvo looked at John and Aeryn. "You can do this? Set our fleet right in the midst of Scarran space?"

"As long as there's a wormhole there, yeah. We'll be a hell of a lot closer than having to transit from the border. It still won't be easy and there will be losses."

"We have been fighting the Scarrans for many long cycles and there is no end in sight. If, as you say, this can end the war, I do not think casualties will be an issue. How many ships will we need?" Tauvo asked.

Bialar replied, "We will need more than just my carrier group. I will present this strategy to First Command. If we could get four carrier groups that should assure us victory."

"That's a lot of our forces on a single mission."

"Not to rain on your parade, but you saw what happened to the Scarrans. I don't think we can take the conventional ships, just the gunships."

"Will that be enough?" asked Tauvo.

Crais thought a few microts. "Four carrier groups would give us 25 gunships. With the element of surprise that should be sufficient."

"You said you had eight, wouldn't that make 32?" John asked.

"Not every carrier group has eight gunships yet. They must reach a certain level of maturity before they join the forces," replied Tauvo.

"We will finally see the end of the war. First Command will see that and grant me this ships I need."

"Bialar, you are only a Fleet Captain, do you really think they will let you retain command of so large a group?" Tauvo asked.

"I do. It is my idea…"

"Excuse me," John interrupted, "This is my idea. I'm the one that makes all this possible."

The Crais brothers stared at John for several microts. Bialar leaned back in his chair. "While it may be your idea, you have no credibility with First Command. You do not exist in this reality. If you want the Scarrans destroyed than this must be my idea."

"John, he's serious." She didn't want there to be any investigation into who he was. Right now they thought he was Sebacean and that was for the best."

"Okay, fine, it can be your idea."

Bialar smiled at him, "I knew that you would see it my way." He turned his attention to his brother, "Tauvo, inform the bridge we are going home, best speed."

"It would be quicker if you took Talyn," said Tauvo.

"Yes, but it will be more impressive if I arrive with the entire carrier group. Finally, we will end the Scarran threat."

"Crais, I don't mean to burst your bubble, but this isn't a guarantee. Katratzi could be more heavily protected than it was. After all, the Scarrans just lost a cruiser."

"I'm sure they will believe it is nothing more than an accident given the lack of proof that it is anything else. As you said, they had not yet perfected wormhole travel." Bialar leaned back and took a sip of his drink. "Finally, I will get the recognition I deserve. Those shipborn fools will realize how wrong they have been."

Aeryn and John shared a quick glance with each other, hoping that glory was not the reason Crais was doing this.

"As great a conversation as this is, I need to get back to analyzing the Scarran data," John said.

Bialar waved his hand dismissively. "Techs are already analyzing the data on Katratzi to plan our assault."

"That's not what I need, Crais…"

"You will address my brother with the respect due his position," interrupted Tauvo.

John glared at Tauvo before turning back to Crais. "_Captain_, what I need to do is analyze the Scarran data on the wormholes. See if I can determine how much they know about the wormhole network in their space. I know where the closest wormhole was in my reality, but there is no guarantee they have one in the same place."

"Fine, Lt. Orn will see that you are set up in one of the labs."

Bialar and Tauvo watched John and Aeryn leave. Bialar took another sip of his drink.

Tauvo said, "I can't believe you let him talk to you like that."

"Without him I never would have returned home, and he has given me the tool to defeat the Scarrans. I will afford him a small measure of leeway."

"So you trust him?"

"I have no choice. He has proven himself trustworthy so I see no reason to doubt him."

"I don't think that he likes you."

"From what I have gathered, he and my counterpart from his reality did not get along particularly well. I had hoped that he would have realized I am not the same person."

Tauvo sniffed, "I still think you give him too much leeway."

Crais smiled, "You worry too much about me, Brother. This is our chance to make a mark in First Command, too long have they looked down upon conscripts. This will prove that we are every bit as good if not better than those born to the ranks." He raised his glass in salute and waited for Tauvo to reciprocate before draining his glass.

"Do you really think he will succeed?" Tauvo asked.

Crais got up to refill his glass. "I most certainly do. I have traveled through wormholes, and I have no doubt of their power. This is exactly what I need to complement my success with the gunships."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Aeryn used the time while John was setting up in the lab to wander the command carrier. It was exactly like the ones she had been on before. She enjoyed some time in the planetary simulation before finding the officer's lounge. She was enjoying a quiet drink when Tauvo came to join her. "Do you mind if I sit here?"

"Not at all," she replied. She knew better than to upset the captain's brother. "I notice you wear the rank of Captain," she said.

He nodded, "Yes _Churat_ is my command with Bialar in charge of the whole group. It was decided this would be the best way so that there would be an officer in charge if the gunships went off on separate action." He paused for a drink before continuing, "I was wondering if you could tell me anything about you and Crichton and where you came from."

"What do you want to know, Captain?" she asked.

"There's no need to be so formal. We were once in the same squadron, and you aren't a member of my crew." He swirled his drink. "Oh, general stuff. I know that you aren't the Aeryn Sun that I knew. And I've never heard of a John Crichton before. There is no record of him in our database. If he exists here, it is out of Peacekeeper space."

"Well, from what I have learned, I am very much like the Aeryn Sun you knew, except I was banished from the Peacekeepers five cycles ago.

"As for John, no, he isn't a Peacekeeper. He is a scientist that has been studying wormholes. He has some problems with authority, but you couldn't ask for a better friend."

"How long have you known him?"

"About five cycles."

Tauvo thought about this answer. It was about the same time period that she had been banished. "Did he have anything to do with your banishment?"

Aeryn knew that lying would only cause trouble later. "In a matter of speaking. There was a misunderstanding between him and your brother. I ended up on the wrong side. At least that's what I thought at the time. I've come to learn that it wasn't."

"Are you saying you are no longer loyal to the Peacekeepers?"

She knew she had to answer carefully now. "I have learned many things about the Peacekeepers that I didn't know as a soldier. My opinion has changed, though I do not think the Peacekeepers are evil." She was purposefully speaking quietly. "Not being a Peacekeeper is the right answer for me. I know that Peacekeepers have their place in the Universe. Understand that in the reality I come from, there was a large degree of corruption and what the Peacekeepers stood for had been twisted. One of our leaders was trying to make a pact with the Scarrans, that's how bad it was."

Tauvo looked at her in utter disbelief. "I had no idea."

"That is part of the reason John behaves as he does. He only knows the Peacekeepers from our reality."

"Then we shall have to show him that we are different. That he can trust us. Will he come here tonight?"

"Possibly. Sometimes he gets buried in his work."

"Then if you don't mind, I'll wait here with you. Perhaps I can answer some questions for you and convince you we are trustworthy Peacekeepers."

Aeryn liked this idea. It was likely that Tauvo's presence would keep Velorek away. She had been doing a good job of avoiding the tech. Though she hoped that Velorek would remain on Talyn.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

John figured that Aeryn was probably in the officer's lounge and decided to start his search there. He saw her sitting at a table with Tauvo. He came up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders, "How you doing, babe?" He gave Tauvo a 'she's mine' look before sitting down.

"Good. Tauvo's been filling me in on the Peacekeepers. How is the lab coming?"

"Great. I've got some competent help and the equipment is pretty good. They're doing some modifications for me right now." He turned to Tauvo, "How long before we get where we are going?"

"About a weeken. We could get there faster with the gunships, but Bialar wants the whole fleet there."

"Nothing like a little show of force," said John. "I guess he's pretty junior?"

"He's a Fleet Captain, an important position, but yes, he is outranked by all the admirals."

"And this would be a nice feather in his cap, wouldn't it?"

Tauvo looked at John and then Aeryn inquisitively. Aeryn shrugged her shoulders and shook her head. There were still many things John said that she didn't understand, even after her trip to Earth. "It would undoubtedly lead to promotion if our attack succeeds. Are you sure this will work?"

He shrugged his shoulders, "It has a better chance of success than anything else out there. I'll get some rest and work on it again tomorrow."

&&&&&&&&&&

**A/N:** Well, I had hoped to get one up earlier in the weekend, but it didn't happen with everything else going on. I know that I separated out most of the Moyans, but it works best for the story I have to tell. I hope you are enjoying this story and that you are looking forward to where it is going.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

John was upset about being called up to command. He was nearing a critical juncture in his work and didn't like being disturbed. "What is it, Captain?" he asked as he entered commanded. His question trailed off as he saw the sight before them. "What…?"

"That, is First Command," Bialar said with pride.

John had always envisioned a Peacekeeper homeworld. Something like Coruscant in Star Wars. He had never imagined this. Stretched before him was what appeared to be a series of asteroids that were connected to create a massive base. There was room for command carriers to dock. In fact, it looked like there were a couple being built. Shipyards that seemed to be working on smaller vessels dotted the complex, as well. Some areas were clearly for habitation; he could see planetary terrain on a very large scale. It looked as though whole sections of very large asteroids had been terraformed. "I thought it would be a planet," he finally said.

The pride was obvious in Crais' voice as he spoke. "First Command began as a base to protect the approaches to the seat of Peacekeeper politics. Over time, it grew to encompass a shipyard. Over thousands of cycles, it has grown to occupy this entire segment of the asteroid belt. Rogue asteroids are herded away from the complex."

"Why not base it on the planet?"

"The politicians did not want the military based on the planet. It has become a symbol of who we are that we live and die among the stars, and First Command epitomizes that. We would never want to be based on a planet."

"Yeah, I can see that." The sight still took his breath away. "So, when do we dock?"

"We won't be docking. I will notify you when the transport is ready."

"Yeah, you do that." He saw Aeryn join them. "Have you ever seen this?" he asked her.

"No, but I've read about it."

He looked at her quizzically because she didn't seem the least bit overwhelmed. "Aeryn, this…complex is amazing. You can't tell me it doesn't take your breath away."

"It's a military installation. Why would it take my breath away?"

"It's huge, it's amazing. They can dock frelling command carriers."

"Yes, John, they can."

He was exasperated that no one shared his wonder. "Okay, fine, I'm going back to work until we go down there."

* * *

Velorek saw Aeryn enter one of the planetary simulations. He followed her. "I think that you've been avoiding me," he said playfully.

"Are you just now figuring that out?"

"I wish you wouldn't. I enjoy spending time with you."

"Velorek, I need you to realize that I am not your Aeryn."

"I do realize that, but you and her are so very much alike. I know that you would be happy here."

"I'm happy where I am. I have John and we are a family."

"But you've told me that you are on the run. Chased by Scarrans, your own Peacekeepers. Is that any way to live? Here you can have safety. You would have the protection of the Peacekeepers. And with the blow we are about to strike, it should remove the Scarran threat. You did admit that you loved me in your reality."

"I did, but that time has passed. What do I need to do to get you to realize that?"

"Are you sure that time has passed? I have seen the way you look at me. You may say that those feelings are gone, but I think you are wrong." He reached up and brushed her cheek.

She pulled away and turned from him.

He put his hand on her shoulder and ran it down her arm. "I would protect you. Under Crais' protection we would be safe, and you would know your children."

She closed her eyes. She knew that what he said was the truth. She had already seen proof of this with Kareth.

"Aeryn, you saved me, the gunships, and in turn, probably the Peacekeepers."

"No, I didn't." She was trying to hold back the tears. If what he said was true, if the gunships were part of the key to defeating the Scarrans, then she had doomed the Peacekeepers of her reality. She might have been responsible for Grayza's rise to power. "And that's why I can't stay here. We have to make things better."

He led her to a more secluded area. "Aeryn, what aren't you telling me? Why does this upset you so much?"

"You don't understand." She tried to get away from him, unable to cope with the feelings he was evoking.

"Help me understand," he pleaded gently.

"If what you say is true about the gunships, I have hurt my reality. I might be responsible for Grayza's rise to power, and her betrayal of the Peacekeepers. I need to go back to help, to prevent the Scarrans from gaining control."

He brushed her hair away from her face. "Aeryn, it's not your fault. There must have been some reason other than the failure of the gunship project that led to Grayza's rise to power. No one person could be responsible for that."

"But you don't understand, Crais left the Peacekeepers."

"It wasn't because of you."

"I could have given him John, and none of it would have happened."

"What are you saying?"

She briefly explained what led to Crais' departure from the Peacekeepers.

He listened intently and comforted her as she needed it. When she finished he brushed her hair and spoke in a reassuring voice. "Listen to what you've said. He declared you irreversibly contaminated. There was nothing else you could have done. Not without losing your life. You said so yourself. He made his own decision. You tried to convince him to be rational. Never blame yourself." He wrapped her into an embrace.

She realized what was happening and pulled away. "I need to go now."

"Aeryn," he pleaded.

"I just need to go." She hurried away, not wanting to talk any more.

Velorek watched her go. He knew that they belonged together. He just had to make her see that. He had been so close.

* * *

Lt. Teeg entered the lab. "Crichton, the transport will be leaving in a quarter arn. You need to change."

"I'm wearing clean underwear," he replied glibly.

Teeg ignored what he had said. "Captain Crais has determined that you are more likely to be received seriously if you are dressed appropriately. A tech officer's uniform is in your quarters. Captain Crais will be waiting for you at the transport. I suggest you not be late."

"Yeah, I know how irate he can get," he mumbled. "Okay, I'll be there." He didn't like the idea of wearing a Peacekeeper uniform. He was comfortable in his own clothes, but he didn't see that he had much choice. When he got to his quarters, he saw it was a uniform very much like the one he had worn when they had met Larraq.

He arrived a little early to the hangar and found himself waiting for Crais. Aeryn showed up shortly after he did. She was also attired in a Peacekeeper uniform. "I see they got you, too, babe."

"It's for the best. You know how Peacekeepers feel about outsiders."

"Oh, yeah, I do." He waited impatiently for Crais. He noticed Aeryn was shifting uncomfortably and was about to ask her what was bothering her when Crais arrived.

"You will be a technical advisor as I report to First Command about wormholes. You will remain silent and defer to me."

"You know, Crais, you have got to work on your people skills. Why are you briefing my plan?"

"Crichton, to reiterate, as you seem not have listened the first time, we are fighting for the survival of the Sebacean race. First Command has scheduled an appointment for us; I do not have time to waste on pleasantries. As to why I am briefing it, I am your captain." He herded them onto the transport.

John was about to protest when Aeryn jabbed him to keep quiet.

On the trip to First Command, John thought about the differences between the two brothers. There were times that Bialar Crais could be a nice personable guy, but those times were in private. Whenever the elder Crais was around his crew, he was all business and by the books. Tauvo, on the other hand, was actually fun to hang around. John had been working on teaching Tauvo, and a few of his senior officers, poker. He was starting to regret that because he was finding that Peacekeepers were very good at bluffing. Tauvo kept insisting that John needed to teach Bialar poker. John wasn't so sure

As they drew closer to First Command, he couldn't help staring out the window. He knew how large the complex had to be, but seeing it in person was nearly overwhelming. They approached one of the larger pressure domes. There was an iris door on the side of the dome that the transport flew towards. The iris opened as they approached, and John found they were in a hangar three times as large as the main hangar on the command carrier. He was pretty sure that Talyn or any one of the gunships could have easily fit inside.

"Try not to look too shocked," whispered Aeryn.

"Yeah, right. It's just so…big."

She reached over and squeezed his hand. "It'll be all right. We'll take care of the Scarrans and then we can go home."

"And you're sure they'll believe Crais and trust me?" he whispered.

"Yes. He trusts you, and you've seen how he is. This is how it would have been…"

"If Tauvo hadn't died. Yeah. Would have made a big difference."

The transport had settled onto the flight deck. John adjusted his tech's uniform. Even though he had worn Peacekeeper clothing before and impersonated Peacekeepers, he had never done so in the heart of Peacekeeper controlled space. Crais led them through the maze that was First Command.

After what seemed like a very long walk, they arrived at a reception area. There was a lieutenant sitting at the desk. "Captain Crais, you are expected. The council should be ready for you soon."

Crais seemed to take this as nothing unusual and sat in a chair against the wall. Aeryn and John chose chairs as far from his as possible so they could talk. The guards that had accompanied him took up position near the door they had come through. John noticed the other door had guards as well, though they were dressed in red and not black. "Are those guys the Imperial Guard?" he asked Aeryn.

She had no idea what that meant. "They are the specially selected Council Guard. It is a very important post. Now, you should be quiet."

Sitting around and doing nothing were two of the things he hated most. He rationalized it would be bad to draw undue attention and decided to follow her advice. It was about a quarter arn before the door to the council chamber opened.

Crais got up to walk through the door, and Aeryn and John fell in behind him. They stopped shortly after entering the room and let Crais move to the center and do the talking. He made his proposal briefly and eloquently.

The council conferred for several microts before addressing Crais. "You have proof that these wormholes are navigable? All indications we have had are that traveling wormholes leads to death."

"My tech has allowed Talyn to safely transit wormholes twice. I have provided evidence on this data chip. We have proven that they can be used to travel quickly and arrive undetected. With the gunships, we would have the ability to destroy the Scarrans once and for all, before they use this same technology against us."

An aide took the chip from Crais and played it for all on the Council to see.

"Since you have proven yourself as a developer of new technology, we will grant your request. The gunships will be assembled under your command. When will you be ready to leave?"

"The final stages of planning are in progress. Through the wormholes we have determined the location of the Scarran's main stronghold. We are going through the data retrieved from the Scarran cruiser to plan our assault."

"And that is data that you have not provided us."

"For good reason, Admiral. This operation is very sensitive. I am concerned that the Scarran ship knew the location of my command carrier group. Their attack seemed too deliberate to be random chance. In the interest of safety and security it is best that only the four people that currently have the information remain the only ones with it."

"Are you saying that we are giving information to the Scarrans?"

"No, sir. I am saying that it is possible that the Scarrans have infiltrated our Command and have found a way to spy on us. I do not want to jeopardize the success of this mission."

The Admiral raised his eyebrows skeptically.

Crais did not want to risk losing this opportunity to finally end the conflict with the Scarrans and added, "I have not failed First Command, and I will not begin now. I _will_ strike the death blow to the Scarrans."

"If that is the case, Admiral Grayza will go with you, as an observer, to ensure that the operation is a success."

Aeryn and John shared a look of concern. They would have to talk to Crais about this, just in case this Grayza was like theirs.

"Of course, sir. I will await her arrival on my command carrier. If you will excuse me, I will begin making arrangements for the gunships to rendezvous."

Crais was just turning to leave when Admiral Grayza spoke, "Captain, is he the tech in question?"

"Yes, ma'am. Lt. Crichton."

John cringed. He had not been happy with the 'demotion' but Crais had insisted it was much easier to create a lieutenant than a commander.

"Lieutenant, you are sure of this technology?" she asked.

"Yes, ma'am, I am. I have proven that successful wormhole travel is possible. We are all proof of that."

"I would be interested in learning more about wormhole travel while I'm onboard. Dismissed."

"I bet you would," John whispered under his breath as they walked out of the room.

* * *

Once they were back on the transport, John said, "Captain, there are some details I would like to discuss with you once we return to the ship."

Crais was about to suggest they could discuss them there, but he could see the look of concern on their faces and he said nothing.

Tauvo was waiting for their return. Crais motioned for Tauvo to join them in his quarters. He sat at the desk, leaving them to stand. "What is it that you find so important?"

"Grayza, you can't trust her," John said.

"You mean to tell me that I cannot trust someone that is a member of the Council?"

"That's exactly what I'm telling you. In our reality she sold, well attempted to sell, the Peacekeepers out to the Scarrans."

"And you think that means she will do it here? You have already admitted that I am different and that Senior Officer Sun is different. Why would Grayza not be different as well? In all my cycles of dealing with First Command, I have seen nothing to indicate she is less than trustworthy."

"Oh, come on. What about the Heppel gland?"

"What Heppel gland are you talking about?"

"Look at her, Crais. That isn't normal."

Crais did not like being addressed so informally. "Captain Crais. And that is a serious accusation to make. Peacekeepers do not modify their bodies with alien glands."

"Captain, I just need you to keep an eye on her. I didn't trust her in my reality, and I don't trust her here. Have her scanned when she gets here."

"Crichton, you are overstepping your bounds. I have allowed you a great deal of leniency, but I will not do something to jeopardize my career. Be careful that you do not stretch my patience."

"Yes, Captain. But will you at least consider the possibility I could be right?"

"I will consider that she betrayed the Peacekeepers in your reality. Unless I see suspicious behavior, I will not authorize an investigation. And if you take it upon yourself to prove her loyalty, I will be forced to punish you. Do not make me do that. Both you and Senior Officer Sun possess important information that we need for our planning." The harshness had left Bialar's voice.

"All communications off this ship have been secured except with my specific approval, and it shall remain so. Our next planning meeting will be in two arns. By then the computer simulation of Katratzi should be complete."

They took this as a dismissal and left.

Tauvo took a seat across from his brother after they left. "Do you think they have a point?"

"I don't know. There have been a lot of similarities between the two realities. We need to keep track of her computer activities while she is here. Ensure she doesn't make any unauthorized transmissions."

"I'll make sure it's done." Tauvo rose and paused before the door opened. "I hope this is over soon. I don't like the idea of wormholes."

"I know. Neither do I. Are you still sure we can trust them?"

"Yes. They have no love of the Scarrans. I like John. He may be a little odd, but he's a good man. Aeryn…she is very much like the one we knew."

Bialar knew that his brother had always secretly cared for Aeryn and envied the special privileges Velorek had earned. "Crichton assures me that it will only be a few more days before we are ready. That will coincide with our rendezvous."

* * *

As soon as Grayza was onboard, they left orbit and headed to the rendezvous point. Bialar, Tauvo, John, Aeryn, Lt. Teeg, and two of the gunship captains assembled in Crais' quarters for the briefing. As they were getting ready to start Grayza walked in. "I assume it was a small oversight not to tell me about this meeting, and one that will not happen again."

John shot Bialar an I told you so' look.

"It was my understanding that you were an observer, Admiral. As such I did not think that you would want to be involved in an initial planning meeting."

"I am here to ensure that the interests of First Command are protected. In order to do that, I need to be present at all meetings." She stood over Bialar indicating that she wanted him to relinquish his seat.

He stared at her for several tense microts before relinquishing his seat.

She surveyed those present. "I know why the gunship captains and Lt. Crichton are here. Who are the others?"

"Lt. Teeg my second in command, Capt. Tauvo Crais, commander of _Churat,_ and Sr. Officer Sun, special commando."

"Why is she here? The others I can understand."

"Sr. Officer Sun has information about the Scarran base."

Grayza cocked an eyebrow. "I would be interested in hearing this information. You may begin."

Bialar began by pulling up the holo of Katratzi and outlining the initial phase of the attack.

"And you know where Katratzi is?" Grayza interrupted.

"Lt. Crichton can get us there through wormholes."

"So you know where it is, Lieutenant?"

"Yeah, I can get us there," John replied.

Crais shot him a look that reminded him to follow protocol.

"Yes, ma'am."

"And where is it?" she asked.

"That's a little harder to say. I can't always place things from a wormhole on a star chart."

"And you are basing your entire plan on this, Captain?"

"It is a sound plan. While this is new technology, it is proven. I trust Lt. Crichton's information, and the Council agreed to allow me do this. May I continue with the meeting?" Crais asked.

"Of course, Captain," Grayza said sweetly.

Crais briefed the attack without any further interruption, but he could tell that Grayza had comments. "If there are no questions, that is all I have. We will refine the plan in two days once we rendezvous with the rest of the gunships. Expect to attack on the third."

Grayza was shocked, "So soon, captain?"

"Yes, ma'am. The gunships can assemble quickly. The sooner we attack, the better."

"Of course," she replied nervously.

John was getting suspicious. He didn't like the way Grayza was acting.

The others, sensing the meeting was over, began filtering out of Crais' quarters. John, along with Aeryn and Tauvo were hanging back, hoping to speak with Bialar.

"Captain, I have some details I wish to discuss with you," Grayza said.

John and the others clearly realized that they would have to wait until later to speak with Bialar.

Once out in the passageway, Tauvo motioned that they should follow him. He didn't speak until they were in his quarters. "Something bothering you, John?"

"Yeah. Grayza. I don't trust her, and I trust her even less after the way that she was acting in that meeting."

"Aeryn?"

"I'd have to agree that she seemed overly nervous. Especially when it was mentioned we would be ready to act in a matter of days."

"Well, don't worry. Bialar has all comms shut down, and only he and I know where the rendezvous point is."

"Unless she gets it from him," added John.

"He won't give it to her," said Tauvo.

"Tauvo, if she has the heppel gland it might not make a difference. Trust me on this. I've learned first hand. She can get it from him." John cut off Tauvo's protest. "No. You can't resist this. Not without help."

"Well, it doesn't matter. All communications are cut off."

"Unless authorized by Crais," Aeryn said.

Tauvo ran out of his quarters, hoping he wasn't too late.


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 5

"Captain, can these wormholes really get the gunships to Katratzi without detection?" Grayza purred.

"Admiral, I have already given you all the information I possess."

She unzipped her jacket partway and ran her fingers through the heppel oil before approaching Bialar. "Are you sure? I must know whether or not we can sneak up on the Scarrans."

He involuntarily inhaled deeply. "We will exit a wormhole in Scarran space, undetected. Their sensors look outward. They will never expect us."

She leaned over the desk and locked the door. "No, they wouldn't, would they?"

He moved closer to her, craving her. "They will never know what hit them," he said proudly.

"You have done well, Captain. I would like to make a report back to First Command, but it seems your communications system is locked," she purred.

"A precaution. Communications are secured until after the assault."

She once again ran her finger between her breasts. "Surely you can make an exception for me. You do trust me, don't you?"

He found he was having a hard time concentrating on anything other than her. He had the feeling there was something he was supposed to remember, but he couldn't. "Implicitly," he began but trailed off as she gently touched his face. He knew he wanted to say more, but he couldn't remember what it was.

"Then you'll give me access?"

He reached up to caress her, "Of course."

She patted his cheek softly. "I have to make my report, first, but I will return later."

He was disappointed. "Are you sure you can't wait a little while?"

"Don't worry. I will return, but this is a very…very important report."

Crais watched with a pang of disappointment as she left his quarters.

&&&&&

Tauvo composed himself before entering command. "Lt. Elik, have we sent any outgoing messages?"

"I just finished routing a comms circuit to Admiral Grayza on Fleet Captain Crais' request," she replied.

"Cancel that request."

"Sir?"

He reached over her shoulder and broke the connection. "There is to be absolutely no communications off this ship. It doesn't matter who authorizes it."

"Sir, I cannot just ignore an order from the fleet captain."

"You will ignore that order. I am captain of the _Churat_."

"But, sir…" Elik protested.

"You will carry out my orders. You will change them for no one, not even me. I have reason to believe that the Scarrans may have found a way to exert influence over us. Do you understand? Even if I give you an order saying to allow communications you are not to follow it. You must be very clear on this. The Scarrans could be influencing any one in the chain of command."

"Yes, sir," Elik answered in confusion. She couldn't understand how the Scarrans could be influencing anyone onboard, but she would follow her captain's orders.

"I will answer to the fleet captain." He left the bridge hoping that he would avoid any encounter with Grayza.

&&&&&

Grayza stormed into Bialar's quarters. "Captain, what is the meaning of this?"

"Meaning of what, Admiral?"

"I thought that I had been given access to the comms, but your bridge officer is telling me that all comms are secured. She is refusing to listen to my order. She claims that your brother countermanded your order."

Bialar could feel his fury rising. How dare Tauvo go against him? "I will correct this." He activated the comms panel on his desk. "Bridge officer, you will grant Admiral Grayza access to the external comms."

"_I'm sorry, sir, but I have orders from Captain Crais. He said that you were not allowed to countermand them_," replied Lt. Elik.

Bialar was seething. "Have him report to me in my quarters." He slammed the comms off.

Grayza moved closer to Bialar and sat on the arm of his chair. "Your brother has been insubordinate and must be punished. This is _your_ fleet."

Bialar could feel himself reacting to her presence. There was something he was supposed to remember about her, what was it? "Yes, it's my fleet," he said distractedly. He was trying to fight through the fog, to find that memory.

Grayza could see her influence waning. Bialar Crais was a very strong man. She gave him another dose of the heppel oil. "Together, you and I will make him see things our way. This is a very important report that cannot wait." She knew some of the information made it off the ship, but not all of it. She had to get the rest of it off the ship.

He reached toward her, longing to touch her, "Your report will not have to wait long." That's what it was, after she gave her report she was going to return to him. That was what he had been waiting for.

She let him touch her. Yes, she would tease him, make him want more. It was so easy to bend these fools to her will.

&&&&&

Tauvo walked down to his brother's quarters, fully expecting a monstrous fight. He had picked up a female guard detail on his way. He knew that he was not immune to her powers, but they would be. He buzzed the door when he arrived and waited for it to open. The door did not close behind him before Bialar started yelling it him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Grayza standing in the shadows.

"What is the meaning of overriding my commands? You work for me, or have you let the fact that you are my brother cloud your memory?" Bialar shouted.

"You are placing our ships in danger. I cannot allow any transmissions off this ship."

"You are not in charge of this armada! I am in command!"

"Bialar, listen to what you are saying. You are yelling at me over the comms circuit. Why? Why is it so important that she be allowed to contact First Command? Or is that who she is really trying to contact?"

Grayza stepped out of the shadows and moved towards Tauvo. "Of course I am trying to contact First Command? Who else would I be contacting?"

The guards lowered their weapons at her. "Stay back," Tauvo ordered.

"You have gone too far," shouted Bialar. "How dare you bring armed guards into _my_ quarters and lower weapons at a member of the Council."

"I dare because you are not yourself." He pointed an accusatory finger at Grayza, "She is controlling you with a mind altering substance. Do you remember the conversation we had with John? Do you remember the heppel oil?"

Bialar tried to think. Most of his thoughts were about the glory he and Grayza would return with after striking a heavy blow to the Scarrans, but he was also seeing flashes of a warning.

Grayza could see the conflict in Bialar's face. "He lies. He wants the glory for himself. He has always been jealous of you. He has concocted this story to aid his own cause." She started moving slowly towards Bialar.

"Stop right there," ordered Tauvo. "You will not get near anyone." He began to wonder when the medical team would get there. Once she was sedated and examined, he could prove his point. Once sufficient time had passed, John had said the effects would wear off.

"Tauvo, you have gone too far. You may be my brother, but I will see you court-martialed and executed for this insubordination."

"If that is your wish, but first you will let me tell you my side of the story, when you are not under her influence."

Finally the medical team arrived. "Captain, we were told there was a medical situation here."

Bialar spoke, "Yes, my brother seems to be taken in a fit of space sickness. Sedate him and confine him to an isolation cell."

"Belay that order. Admiral Grayza is to be sedated and examined for the presence of an alien gland that secretes a mind altering substance," said Tauvo.

Grayza turned her icy glare to the senior member of the medical team. Once again, she noticed that they were all female. She had heard Tauvo mention something about John knowing about a heppel gland and it worried her. "You dare take a member of the Council into confinement? You will die a slow and painful death for this insubordination. Doctor, you will join him if you touch me."

The doctor looked nervously at her captain. "You will do as _I_ have ordered. The evidence of the gland is clear. My brother would never order my death. He trusts my judgment. The only reason he would do that is if he were under the influence of some substance. He will also be examined to determine what that substance is." Tauvo turned to face a seething Bialar Crais who looked as though he were about to leap over the desk to throttle him. "Doctor, do your duty and sedate them both."

"Tauvo, you will pay…" Bialar never got to finish his sentence as the stunner pulse hit him. As the med team placed Bialar and Grayza on stretchers he said to the doctor, "Only females will be allowed in her room, and I want her tied down. Keep my brother restrained until the effects of the oil have worn off."

"We'll keep him sedated until then, Captain. We don't want him injuring himself. I'll let you know as soon as we have the results, sir."

He watched the med team lead them out of Bialar's quarters and turned to the guards. "Keep a close guard on her. We don't believe that the oil works on females, but I can't take that chance. No guard is to approach her."

"Yes, sir," replied the captain of the guard as they followed the med team down the passageway.

Tauvo remained behind the closed door, thinking about all that had happened. Had his crew listened to Bialar, he might be dead now. As it was, they still had to contend with the fact that Grayza had gotten a partial transmission off. Surely the Scarrans knew at least part of their plan. Once he had calmed down, he left in search of Aeryn and John.

&&&&&

Bialar opened his eyes and it took a moment for him to focus. He tried to rub his eyes with his hands, but found he couldn't move them. As the room came into focus, he recognized the med bay. He struggled again and found that he was completely restrained. What was going on? Why was he a prisoner? He tried to call out, "I demand," but found that his voice was a hoarse whisper and that he was incredibly thirsty.

Not long after he came to a doctor entered the room. "Captain, good to see that you are awake. How are you feeling?"

"Release me," he whispered.

The doctor gave him some water. "I have some questions for you before I release you."

"I will not be subjected to such indignity. I order you to release me."

The doctor sat down. "It's a good thing that the medical corps is accorded some freedom in treating their patients. Do you remember what happened?" She watched Bialar scowl at her. "Captain, you will not be released until I am satisfied with your answers."

"What do you think happened to me?" he growled.

"I won't answer your questions until you answer mine."

He looked up at the ceiling in a huff and struggled against his restraints again even though he knew it was futile.

"Do you remember what happened?" she asked gently.

"Of course I remember," he snapped. Though now that he started thinking about it, it wasn't all that clear. They stayed in that uncomfortable silence for several long microts. Bialar finally realized he was not going to win this stand off since he was the one restrained. "I remember the admiral coming to my quarters. We talked…about her needing to contact First Command. After that…" he struggled to remember what had happened. "I…argued with my brother…but, I can't recall why." This bothered him. Why were there holes in his memory?

"That is to be expected. One of the side effects of heppel oil is memory loss."

"Heppel oil," he said quietly as he remembered a conversation with Crichton about heppel oil. "So she has a heppel gland?"

"Yes, we have her in isolation right now. It seems that you are free of its effects. I will notify Captain Crais. He wished to see you when you were released." She got up to remove the restraints.

"Notify him that I will see him, Lt. Crichton and Sr. Officer Sun in my quarters in a quarter arn."

"Yes, Captain," she replied before leaving.

Crais rubbed his wrists. Now they had to determine how much damage had been done. He still didn't completely remember everything.

&&&&&

Tauvo and the others were very punctual. Tauvo immediately launched into an apology, "Bialar, I apologize for my behavior."

Bialar raised his hand to quiet his brother, "No apology is necessary. The doctor explained heppel oil's effects to me. Unfortunately, there are some gaps in my memory. What did I do while under her influence?"

"You allowed her access to the comms. The techs are still working on that transmission. We don't know what it was or who it was to, and I'm not sure they will be able to break through the encryption. Past that, you threatened to have me court-martialed and executed. The guards and medical team that witnessed this will not speak about what they witnessed."

Bialar got up and started pacing. "It seems that we will have to assume that the Scarrans know our plan."

"Can we contact the other ships and set up a new rendezvous?" asked John.

"No, but we will devise a secondary rendezvous that Talyn will transmit to the others when they arrive. The gunships can starburst at a moments notice if necessary."

"So we just proceed as planned?" John asked incredulously.

"We have no choice. At least we know it is a trap. Tauvo, increase speed so that we will arrive earlier." He pulled up a chart of that area. "We can change our approach vector and use this nebula to conceal our presence. If the Scarrans are going to ambush us, they will want to be in position."

"What if they're using the nebula as well?" Aeryn asked.

Bialar pointed at it again, "They will be on this side. By positioning ourselves here we can come in behind them if they attack the ships arriving at the rendezvous. It's the best option we have." He started pacing. "Now our concern is what do we do with Grayza."

"She's a spy, don't you execute spies?" John asked.

"Convicted spies, yes. But we don't know that she really is a spy. As of now, we have no proof that she contacted the Scarrans. It is vital that the techs figure out what she was trying to send off the ship."

"You are going to keep her confined, aren't you?" asked John.

"Of course, after what she did to me, I will not allow her freedom."

"Crichton, find a secondary rendezvous point and report to me as soon as possible."

"Sure thing, Captain," John replied.

"Tauvo, keep Grayza under observation."

"Should we interrogate her?" Tauvo asked.

"Not yet. Give the techs some more time to see what they can find in the message she tried to send and any other files she has." After he dismissed everyone, he poured himself a drink to calm himself down. He couldn't get over the feeling of violation he had from what Grayza did to him.

&&&&&

Aeryn and John walked out of Bialar's quarters together and proceeded silently to their quarters. "Have we done enough?" she asked.

"I don't know. I have a bad feeling about this, but we have to go through with it. I need to get Crais that new rendezvous point. I'll be back later. He bent over and gave her a quick kiss.

Aeryn watched him go and felt sad about it. He was acting much as he had the last time they had been on this command carrier. He was once again obsessed with wormholes, something she had though was over since they closed the wormhole to Earth.

She decided to go for one last walk around the command carrier since they would be moving over to Talyn tomorrow and hopefully once the assault was over they would return to their reality and Moya.

&&&&&

_Churat_ and the rest of the carrier group approached the rendezvous point at high alert. Bialar didn't want to take any chances. John and Aeryn were in Talyn's command with him. "Lieutenant, is there anything on the sensors?"

"No, Captain. We are the first ship to arrive."

"Hold here. As the rendezvous time approaches and we detect the other gunships, we'll move closer."

"Are you sure about that, Captain?" John asked quietly. "Shouldn't we warn the others?"

"And risk that signal being detected? No. If the Scarrans do know where we are rendezvousing, I don't want them to know we know so we can surprise them."

"During their surprise attack. I think my head's starting to hurt," John replied.

"This will not affect your ability to navigate wormholes, will it?" asked Crais, clearly not understand the joke John was trying to make.

"It's an expression, Bialar, don't take it seriously."

They waited impatiently and the mood was tense. Bialar, John and Aeryn went over what they knew about Katratzi, trying to come up with every conceivable variation of what could go wrong. The silence was broken when the deck officer announced, "Captain, there are ships arriving at the rendezvous."

"Is it the gunships?" he asked.

"Unknown, they are too far away to identify. Should I send the recognition signal?"

Bialar thought for a few microts. "No. Do what you can to keep us out of their sensor range. Let _Churat_ know that ships are arriving and to prepare for attack."

"Yes, sir."

John leaned over and whispered to Aeryn, "Wanna bet on whether it's the gunships or the Scarrans?"

"No, I don't. It's just best to be prepared for the worst."

"If the Scarrans do know we're coming this could get ugly real fast."

"Are you suggesting we give up?" she asked.

"No. It's just…I don't know. I have a bad feeling about this."

"You said that already," she replied.

"It's a really bad feeling."

"Captain, I've identified the incoming ships, they are _Vekal_'s gunships and I've detected another group of ships."

Over the course of the next quarter arn, the rest of the gunships arrived.

"Still no sign of the Scarrans?" John asked.

"I have contacted the rest of the ships and no one has detected any other ships."

"It appears that Grayza's message did not get through to the Scarrans. It appears we stopped her in time," replied Bialar.

"I dunno. I just have a bad feeling about this. She didn't say anything when she was questioned did she?"

"She continues to protest her innocence and the fact that I will be court-martialed and executed on grounds of treason. I am unwilling to resort to more drastic means to get information from her in case you are wrong about her."

"I'm not wrong," John insisted.

Aeryn placed her hand on his arm, "John. It's probably best if we proceed to the secondary rendezvous point just in case the Scarrans do show up. Maybe they couldn't make it on time."

Bialar couldn't argue with this logic, "Lieutenant, transmit the new coordinates to the gunships. Once we arrive, we will hold the planning conference. Contact my brother," he ordered.

"Yes, sir." The lieutenant worked the comms panel for a few microts. "_Churat_ standing by, sir."

"Tauvo, you have command of the carrier group. We will meet you at the rendezvous point."

"_We'll be waiting for you, brother._"

"If you are discovered, the safety of the ships is paramount. The gunships should be able to defend themselves. I do not expect we will be gone longer than one solar day. Good fortune, brother."

"_And to you_," replied Tauvo.

&&&&&

Velorek had been waiting for another chance to talk to Aeryn, but she was always with John Crichton. He knew their time was growing short. As soon as their mission was accomplished he was sure that Crichton would be leaving and, unless he could do something, Aeryn with him. He could tell that she still loved him; he just had to get her to admit it to himself.

Using Talyn's internal sensors, he had been keeping an eye on her, waiting for her to be alone. Finally, he had his chance. She was in the gym. He decided to try once again to convince her to stay. He changed into workout gear and headed to the gym.

"Aeryn? What a surprise to find you here," he said as he entered the gym.

"Velorek," she replied hardly looking up from her workout.

"I guess you've been keeping busy, I haven't seen much of you lately." When she didn't respond he continued, "You'll be pleased to hear that Talyn's repairs are complete and he's ready for battle. I know that the Talyn you knew was much younger. I would be happy to give you a tour so you can see what kind of power a full grown gunship has."

Clearly, ignoring him wasn't working. "I don't think that would be appropriate," she replied.

"Why not?

She stopped and turned to him. "We've been over this before. I have a life now. You need to move on with yours. You haven't done that. You are obsessing over me."

"I'm not obsessing over you. You are a Peacekeeper…"

"Not anymore," she interrupted.

"Let me finish, please. You are a Peacekeeper; that is how you were raised. An unfortunate turn of events removed you from that lifestyle. I've heard what your life is like. We are about to defeat the Scarrans. This would be a safe place for you. No one would be chasing you." He fell silent.

"Aeryn, you are something special. You always have been. We had something special." He reached out to touch her hair. "We could have it again. You just need to give me a chance."

She gently took his hand in hers. "I know you miss her, and I know you loved her." She made her voice more stern, "Now, I need you to realize that I'm not her. I've come to terms with what happened in my reality and moved on. I loved my Velorek once, but that part of my life is over. I have made my life with John. Nothing you say can change that."

"But what of our son?"

"He's not _our_ son. While I share the same genetics with him, he is not a part of me. Please, don't make this any harder on yourself."

"Aeryn," he pleaded as he tried to reach out for her again.

She backed away and said gently, "No. This is the way it has to be. Remember her for who she was, forget me." She turned away from him and walked out of the gym.

&&&&&

John was looking for Aeryn. They were ready for the final planning and she was late. He found her sitting in her quarters with the lights off. "Aeryn? Are you alright?" He moved to sit next to her on the bed. "Aeryn?"

"I'm sorry. This has been harder than I thought."

"It's Velorek, isn't it?" he asked.

She looked at him. "You know?"

He nodded. "Rygel told me."

"And you didn't say anything?"

He shrugged. "I know how much he meant to you. I thought I'd give you room to work though it alone."

"But what if I'd chosen him?" she asked.

He gently lifted her chin to look into her eyes. "Do you really need to ask the question?"

She smiled and kissed him. "No."

He broke away from her embrace. "We're late for the meeting, that's why I came to get you."

"Oh, frell, I forgot."

&&&&&

John and Aeryn tried to slip into the room. While Crais didn't stop speaking he did spare a glance for them. He was highlighting the layout of Katratzi and what they had analyzed as the most vulnerable areas.

"Each of you has been given your primary and secondary targets. In the event you are unable to hit either, you will attack a target of opportunity. All of us have to be prepared to take care of any Scarran opposition. Our latest intelligence did not indicate the presence of a Dreadnaught, but if there is one present, it will need to be dealt with first.

Captain Kael's group will lead the attack if there is a Dreadnaught.

"Now that Lt. Crichton is here, are there any more specific questions about your targets or the layout of the planetary defenses?"

Crichton bristled at his introduction, but didn't say anything.

"Captain Markaz of gunship Arum, you didn't say where we got this intelligence. Some of this stuff is very detailed. If we're going to do something so drastic I'd like to know where this information came from."

Crichton was about to answer, but Bialar spoke up first, "Lt. Crichton had the opportunity to infiltrate the base at Katratzi. While there he was able to make note of power cores, central computers, armories and other vulnerable areas. Those are where we have decided to concentrate our attacks. In addition, we captured a Scarran cruiser, and we were able to download and translate their databanks. Does that allay your concerns?"

Markaz nodded.

"Return to your ships and we will proceed to the wormhole."

As the room was emptying the general alarm sounded. Crais accessed Talyn's sensors.

"There is a Scarran attack fleet," he announced to John and Aeryn.

"I knew our luck was too good to be true," John muttered as he followed Bialar and Aeryn to command.

&&&&&

"How many ships?" Aeryn asked.

"A Stryker force. Not large enough to stop us." He turned to the bridge officer, "Jam communications."

"Did they send a signal?" John asked.

Crais looked at his sensor officer.

"We didn't detect one, sir, but that doesn't mean one wasn't sent out."

"Gets better and better," John muttered.

Aeryn stepped up to his side, "What do we do now? They know we're coming."

"Maybe, but I doubt they are expecting this kind of firepower. We still have to go."

They watched the battle rage around them. It didn't last very long. The gunships worked well together. It was like watching a pack of wolves separate the weakest member of the herd for the kill. One by one the gunships picked off the Scarran ships until they were all destroyed.

When the skirmish was over Crais turned to John. "Where is the wormhole? The sooner that we can commence our attack, the better."

"It's here, we just have to wait for it to open."

"Deploy the ships defensively. We don't know if that was the only force or a vanguard."

The waiting drew on. Bialar kept looking at John nervously, but John was ignoring him. He stepped beside Aeryn as asked quietly, "How long will this take?"

"I don't know."

"Is he alright?"

"He gets like this when he deals with wormholes. If he says it will be here, it will."

Crais walked away. "Anything on sensors?" he asked.

"Nothing, Captain."

Crais continued pacing nervously. He knew the others had to be getting as restless. Finally, he saw a blue flash followed by the now familiar vortex of a wormhole.

"There it is, Crais. Pass the word to the other gunships to follow close." He moved to stand at Talyn's navigational controls so he could guide the gunship through the wormhole network.

* * *

**A/N:** Again, I would like to thank all that have taken the time to review. Feedback of any variety is very important to an author. 


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Crais tried to contact the other gunships, but he found that communications were impossible within the wormhole. He was reasonably sure they could expect a Scarran force at the end of the wormhole. "There was another wormhole in Scarran space, slightly farther, can we exit that one instead? The Scarran forces are most likely concentrated at the wormhole nearest Katratzi."

"Way ahead of you, Cap'n. Now let me concentrate," replied John.

Crais waited as patiently as he could. This was the worst part. They would arrive and be disoriented, and there was no telling what they would find at the end of the wormhole. The longer they were in the wormhole the more difficult keeping Talyn calm became. This was magnified by the fact that Talyn had no idea where he was or how to get back to where they had started.

Finally, they emerged from the wormhole. "Scan the area," Crais ordered.

"No sign of Scarran ships. Triangulating our position," reported Teeg.

The communications officer reported, "All gunships accounted for with the exception of one."

Crais' gaze shifted to John.

John shrugged, "There's nothing I could have done about it. They all knew they had to follow."

"Where are they?"

"I don't know. Hopefully, they are in this reality."

"When this is over can you find them?"

"Possibly, but that's not my number one concern." John found this show of concern unusual from what he knew of Peacekeeper Crais.

"Captain, I've triangulated our position and plotted starburst coordinates. I'm transmitting them to the rest of the attack fleet," announced Teeg.

"Starburst coordinates? I thought that was an inexact method," John asked.

"Perhaps for a normal Leviathan. Gunships are trained for precision starburst. Standby to initiate starburst."

Aeryn smiled at John, "Congratulations. You did it."

"Not that he would notice, but thanks babe." He grabbed her as Talyn lurched into starburst.

They emerged from starburst, and John was amazed at how close they were to Katratzi. He could see it clearly through the viewport. He watched the sensors, and he could see the gunships forming up into their attack groups. There was something that seemed amiss to him. "Where are the ships?" he asked Aeryn.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Crais, where are the ships? We need to hold off the attack."

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

"Where are the Scarran ships? They wouldn't leave Katratzi undefended. This has to be an ambush."

"The longer we remain here doing nothing, the worse we make the situation. Trap or not, we need to attack. The Scarrans have never met a full attack by the gunship fleet before. You have seen how the gunships work together. They communicate more quickly than normal ships."

"I just don't like it. I think we should be careful, that's all. They knew we would be coming."

"Perhaps they are waiting for us at the other wormhole. Proceed with the attack plan," he ordered. Crichton did have a valid point, but there was no point in delay. It was unlikely the Scarrans were expecting an attack from this direction, so even if they were expected, they would have some surprise on their side.

The gunships swooped in for the first attack. The first group hit their targets, but before the other groups could attack, a Scarran attack fleet rushed in from behind one of the other moons and began attacking the gunships.

As planned, half the gunships broke away to deal with the Scarran ships, while the other half continued their attacks on Katratzi. After the first pass the planetary defense systems were neutralized.

John looked over at Crais and saw the captain's eyes were closed. He saw Aeryn punching something up on the display. When he looked over, he saw a three dimensional display of the battle. A group of the gunships were swarming around the dreadnaught. John watched as the group attacked with perfect timing. Several gunships sustained damaged and one was disabled, but he watched them take out the dreadnaught. It was close enough that it was sucked towards the planet. "Just like Jedi," John whispered.

"What?" asked Aeryn.

"Movie, it's nothing."

The battle raged and Talyn shook as he suffered several hits, but none of them was serious. The gunships made quick work of the Scarran ships, and then concentrated their effort on Katratzi.

John closed his eyes as he watch the planet being destroyed. He knew it was the right thing, but there were so many innocents that were being killed, too. He told himself that they weren't really innocent. They were supporting the Scarran war machine, and he knew that Kalish were scientists in the Empire and there was no proof that a Kalish Resistance existed here.

Crais finally opened his eyes. "It is complete. The planet is destroying itself. Status of the attack force?"

"One gunship destroyed, two disabled and will have to be towed, two others are degraded and have lost the ability to starburst. No estimate on time of repair for any ships, sir," Lieutenant Ohrn reported.

"Once the disabled ships have been secured, we will proceed to the nearest wormhole," Crais announced.

"Is that a good idea? I mean, if part of the fleet was waiting for us there, we're going to run into them, and they have probably been called here for help," asked John.

"Without starburst it would take us two solar days to return to the wormhole we came through. That would put the fleet at undue risk. The best course of action to is leave Scarran space as quickly as possible. Our force is still sufficient enough to defeat a Scarran battle group."

John leaned over and whispered to Aeryn, "That seemed too easy. I don't like it."

Crais overheard his comment, "The gunships were designed specifically to defeat Scarran forces. There was no surprise in the speed at which they destroyed the dreadnaught."

"Then why haven't you destroyed them yet?" John asked. If the Peacekeepers had this sort of firepower, there was no reason they hadn't destroyed the Scarrans yet.

"We do not yet have enough gunships to take on a massed Scarran fleet. What we have here is essentially the entire gunship force. It will be four more cycles before we have enough. And prior to our capture of the Scarran cruiser, we had no information on where their bases were, or how to get past their defenses. Does that answer your question?"

"Yeah, thanks." He grabbed Aeryn's arm and led her out of command.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"Planetary simulation, we need to talk."

"You realize this is not like a command carrier. Crais can probably find out what's going on anywhere."

"Okay, fine, but it's the most open area."

Once there, he pulled her to what was a secluded area, though it was nearly deserted as the crew was still at battle stations. The only ones present members of the cadet class.

"What's this all about?" she asked.

"I'm concerned about what happens next."

"We go home, that's what happens next."

"Does it? You heard what Crais said, there aren't enough gunships to defeat the Scarrans. Sure, this attack is going to hurt them, but it's also going to piss them off. You know First Command is going to want to use wormholes to finish off the Scarrans."

"Crais gave his word…"

John interrupted, "Do you think that's going to matter? Do you think he's just going to let us leave when he has the ability to wipe out the Scarrans and become a hero of the Sebacean race in his grasp?"

"John, he gave us his word. He'll let us leave."

"And leave himself open to disgrace? And how would explain it to First Command?"

"What are you suggesting?"

John started pacing and ran his fingers through his hair. "I don't know."

"You know you can't threaten him. He won't react well to that. I think we should talk to him before making any rushing into anything."

Talyn shook with the force of an impact. "Guess we found those other Scarrans. We'd better get up to command for when we find that wormhole."

"John, you're not going to do anything stupid, are you?"

He smiled at her, "Me?"

She followed him out of command hoping that he wouldn't do anything to upset Crais.

John arrived in command and froze for a microt. "Crais, you've gotta move the gunships, NOW!"

"What are you talking about?" Crais asked.

"We're too close to where the wormhole is going to open, they need to move now!"

Crais ordered the gunships to move off while still engaging the Scarrans. When the wormhole did open it almost captured one of the gunships, and it did destroy one of the Scarran ships.

"We need to enter the wormhole," John said.

"We are on the verge of defeating the Scarran force," replied Crais.

"If you want to leave Scarran space we need to go now. If they follow us we can blow them up on the other side, or they'll just turn to goo on their own, but we have to leave."

Crais stared at John gritting his teeth for a few microts. "Order the gunships into the wormhole."

John took his place at the controls to guide Talyn through the wormhole. He was trying not to let his apprehension distract him. When the emerged from the wormhole, they received a transmission, "_Captain Crais, this is_ Churat, _welcome back._"

"Thank you, Brother. Have there been any further signs of the Scarrans?"

"_No. Was your mission a success?_"

"Yes, it was. We will hold a debriefing onboard _Churat_. Deploy repair crews as required to the gunships." He closed the channel and looked at John. "Lt. Crichton, you will accompany for the debriefing."

John and Aeryn followed him out of command. "We need to talk to you."

"It can wait until after the debriefing."

"No, Crais, I don't think it can."

Crais stopped and turned on him. "I have injured gunships and gunships that need to return to their respective fleets. We will hold this debriefing first, and then I will make a preliminary report to First Command. After that, we can discuss whatever you desire." Crais began walking towards the hangar.

"You're not going to let us return to our reality, are you?" John asked.

Aeryn elbowed him and whispered through gritted teeth, "John."

Crais spun on John, clearly upset. "We will discuss this when I have time. And must I continue to remind me that you will show me the proper amount of respect. You draw too much attention to yourself, and if you continue this sort of behavior, I will be forced to punish you."

John followed after and muttered, "Uh-oh, Dad's going to send me to bed without any desert."

"John, behave," Aeryn whispered.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

There were no surprises in the debriefing. Tauvo was surprised by the destruction he saw on the sensor recordings. "This is marvelous. The gunships performed magnificently. The Scarrans never knew what hit them."

Bialar stopped the recording. "Unfortunately, we were forced to leave surviving ships behind when we returned through the wormhole. While the Scarrans likely do not know exactly what happened to Katratzi, the surviving ships probably have a good sensor record of our battle at the wormhole. No doubt they will have their scientists analyze it to search for a way to gain an advantage over the gunships." He shot John an icy glare to let him know he was the one to blame for that.

"I presume no one else has anything to add?" he asked and looked around the room. "The disabled ships will remain with my battle group until repairs can be conducted. The rest of you are free to return to your battle groups."

John followed Bialar out of the briefing room. "Crais, Captain, we need to talk."

Bialar didn't break pace. "I must make my report to First Command. I will send for you when it is complete."

"It's important," John insisted.

"I have no doubt that you believe it is. My first priority is to inform my chain of command of the outcome of our attack. Your concerns are secondary."

Tauvo had followed and pulled John aside. "John, don't push him. Come to my quarters." He poured all three of them drinks and sat on the edge of his desk. "Now, what are you trying to upset my brother about?"

"I'm not sure he's going to send us back," John said.

"What would make you say that? He gave his word that you would be returned. In fact, I recall you stayed only to ensure the destruction of the Scarran base at Katratzi. That was your idea, not his."

"I know that. But you saw the recordings. You saw what we did to the Scarran forces."

"I did. My brother did a good job designing them," Tauvo said proudly.

"That's what I'm afraid of. Once First Command sees what they can do, they are going to want to attack more Scarran forces, which will involve wormholes, and I'm the only one that knows anything about them. That means your brother is going to have to keep me here."

"My brother wouldn't do that. He gave you his word that he would help you return and he will."

"Can you be so sure of that? He's going to be hailed as a great hero for this battle. No, you can hardly call it a battle. The Scarrans didn't stand a chance. It was a massacre. But anyway, he's going to be a hero, and I don't see him giving that up or having to explain why he can no longer use wormholes."

"John, he gave his word. He will honor it, despite what you believe. When he summons you, I'll come with you. Together, we should be able to come up with a good reason on why we can no longer travel wormholes."

"Yeah, I'll believe that when I see it."

The comms on Tauvo's desk sounded, and he answered it."_Tauvo, come to my quarters_."

John and Aeryn looked at him. "I'll talk with him. It might be better that I get a chance to do this privately first."

"Tauvo," John said simply.

Tauvo clapped his hand on John's shoulder. "He won't go back on his word. I'll see to it."

John looked at Aeryn once Tauvo was gone. "If we can get back to Talyn, we can take my pod."

"And take it where? Unless there is a wormhole nearby that would only upset Crais more and then where would we be?"

He stood up and started pacing. "I know. I just feel helpless sitting here waiting for him to pass judgment on us."

She got up and wrapped her arms around him. "It'll be alright. He gave us our word."

"Why do you trust him so much?"

"It's more I trust Tauvo. We've had a lot of time to talk while you were busy. He's a good man."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"You wanted to see me, Brother?" Tauvo asked.

"Yes, have a seat. How is Grayza?"

"Still unhappy about being a prisoner. She continues to profess that we will all be court-martialed and executed for how we have treated her."

"I don't think that will matter. That fact that the Scarrans were waiting for us should be all the proof that First Command will need that she was a traitor."

"Let's hope you're right. She has some powerful connections."

"Powerful connections cannot help a traitor," replied Bialar.

Tauvo sat quietly in thought for several long microts. "Bialar, we have already seen what power the heppel gland gives her. It is very likely that she has used it on members of the council."

"Then we will remove it and prevent her from reasserting that power."

"To remove it would kill her, brother."

Bialar slammed his hand against his desk in frustration. "We still have two days to decide what we are going to do with her."

Tauvo shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "There is another matter." He waited for that raised eyebrow his brother was so famous for before continuing. "There is the matter of sending John and Aeryn home." When Bialar didn't reply, he continued, "We should be able to take them back to the wormhole while only delaying our arrival a few arns."

"And then what? I explain to First Command the attack was a success, but one we will not be able to repeat? Crichton has been very careful not to leave too much of his work in the databanks."

"Bialar, you agreed you would send them back. That's why they came. Tell First Command they were casualties. You sustained damage, it's plausible."

Bialar leaned forward, a sparkle in his eyes, "With Crichton's knowledge and my gunships, we can bring the Scarrans to their knees. You didn't see it. It was marvelous. The Scarrans were no match for the gunships. We tore them to pieces. We can end this war."

Tauvo couldn't believe what he was hearing from his brother.


	9. Epilogue

Tauvo knew that his brother was very dangerous like this. "Bialar, listen to me. You gave them your word. You are an honorable man. I worked hard to convince John of that. He has never really trusted you. What do you think he will do if you betray that trust? Do you really think that he will continue to give you access to the wormholes? Think, Bialar. He is not a Peacekeeper, he doesn't think like one."

Bialar stood up and loomed over his insubordinate brother. "How dare you speak to me that way? You are in your position because of me. Do not let the fact that you are my brother cloud your judgment."

Tauvo stood to meet his brother eye to eye, "Listen to yourself. You are letting glory cloud your judgment. You dealt a great blow to the Scarrans. We can exploit that through other means." Tauvo stood straight and softened his voice, "My brother is an honorable man and would not go back on his word. If you will not send them back, _Churat_ will need a new captain." He turned away and walked for the door.

"Tauvo, wait," said a chastised Bialar. "You are right. I am letting myself be blinded by glory. After all these long cycles, I can see an end to the war."

Tauvo returned to the desk. "I see it, too, but remember, the Scarrans do not need to know that we can no longer travel the wormholes."

"Assuming Grayza is the only traitor," added Bialar.

"Yes, assuming that. But we have proof that she was passing information to the Scarrans. If she had anyone else under her control, that control will be broken with her imprisonment and execution."

Bialar sat back in his chair. "I don't have a choice, do I?"

"I'm afraid not. You know that he will cease to be cooperative if he is imprisoned."

Bialar rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Set a course for the wormhole, inform Teeg to make the changes in Talyn's logs, let Crichton and Sun know when they are to leave, and send them to me."

Tauvo bowed his head slightly before taking his leave.

* * *

John was pacing Tauvo's quarters. 

"John, will you please calm down," Aeryn said.

"I can't. You know Crais. I know how he feels about glory. We both saw him in the debriefing. I just know he's not going to let us go."

They both spun around to face the door when it opened. Neither one took any comfort in Tauvo's expression.

"Well?" John asked.

"After seeing what could be accomplished by using the wormholes, he was not pleased with the prospect of not being able to repeat that accomplishment."

"See? I told you," interrupted John.

"If you will let me finish?" retorted Tauvo. "I was able to convince him that keeping you would not necessarily ensure your cooperation. That you would in all likelihood be resentful and uncooperative."

"Damn straight I would."

"He ultimately decided that he could not go back on his word. We will be at the wormhole that you arrived through in six arns. You will then be free to go."

"What about First Command? Won't they question why you can no longer navigate wormholes?" asked Aeryn.

"The logs are being altered to show that John perished in the fighting. Bialar will be able to convince them that without you there is no way to navigate wormholes. I'm sure research will continue in your absence, but it will not be any more successful than it already was."

"What about the knowledge Talyn has? He doesn't have everything, but there's some stuff in there that could be useful," said John.

"It's up to you. Of course, it would be useful to us and might speed up our research and we would prefer to have it, but if you want it destroyed, I will make sure it happens."

"Let me think about that." He wasn't sure he wanted to give that kind of information to the Peacekeepers, but if the Scarrans had their research somewhere in addition to Katratzi, he didn't want the Scarrans to have the advantage.

"One last thing, Bialar wanted to see you before you left."

"Did he say why?" asked John suspiciously.

Tauvo shook his head. "No, he didn't say. I'll see the two of you before you leave." He walked over and placed his hand on John's shoulder. "I have enjoyed your friendship and wish you didn't have to go."

"Thanks, Tauvo. I wish I'd gotten to know you in my reality." So much would have been different if they had met under these circumstances. "But, we don't really belong here."

"No. I suppose not." He turned to Aeryn, wondering if his other self had known her. "Aeryn, you are very much like the woman I knew. John is a very lucky man."

"Thank you, Tauvo. You make a fine Captain."

He chuckled softly, "Not really, but thank you anyway." With that, he walked out of his quarters.

John looked at Aeryn. "So, should we go see how big brother is going to try to talk us out of leaving?"

Aeryn rolled her eyes as she preceded him out of the room.

* * *

John was on the defensive from the moment he entered Bialar's quarters. "Tauvo says you wanted to see us." 

"Yes. Have a seat," Bialar replied.

"And so it begins," muttered John.

"What was that?" asked Crais.

"Nothing. What was it you wanted to see us about?" He looked at Aeryn and could tell that his behavior was annoying her.

"As I'm sure my brother told you, we are returning to the wormhole so that you can return to your reality."

"Yeah, he told us," John replied.

"I wanted to thank you for your assistance in destroying Katratzi."

"What? Did Bialar Crais just thank someone?" asked John facetiously.

"John, behave," chided Aeryn. She could tell that Bialar was not in the mood to play games.

"Is it possible for you to behave normally for even the shortest period of time?" Bialar asked.

"Hate to break it to you, Bialar, but this is normal for me." John said as he leaned back in he chair and laced his fingers behind his head.

Bialar decided to continue talking and do his best to ignore John. "As I was saying, your help was invaluable. We have delivered a tremendous blow against the Scarrans. With your help, we could ensure that they would no longer pose a threat."

"I knew it was coming. Bialar, it's not gonna happen. We only came here because there was a very real danger the Scarrans would develop the technology to harness wormholes. We couldn't let that happen. That research has been destroyed. I'm not going to give someone else the power of wormholes. We don't belong here. As much as I don't like the Scarrans, these are your Scarrans. We have our own problems to deal with. So, thanks, but no thanks."

"I assumed that's what you would say. I had to ask to be sure that you couldn't be persuaded to stay. I have heard reports of your existence in your reality and thought perhaps you would prefer the more stable and protected life I could offer you here. As I'm sure you have been told, the logs are being altered to show that you perished in the attack. There will be questions, but they will be explainable."

"What are you going to do about Grayza?" Aeryn asked.

"We have a medical report that shows she has the heppel gland. Our communications logs show that she sent a coded transmission. While we have not decoded it, the fact that the Scarran attack force was waiting for us is rather incriminating. She will be exposed for the traitor she is."

"That's good to know," John replied. "Do you have anything else?"

Bialar got up from his desk and extended his hand towards John. "You are a good man. I only wish we had had the opportunity to get to know each other better. I think under better circumstances we could have been good friends."

"Uh, thanks." This was the lasts thing John was expecting Bialar to say.

Aeryn added. "I'm sure you would have." She had seen their Crais on Talyn and how he had matured. "Captain, it's been an honor serving with you again."

"Thank you, Aeryn. A safe journey home to you both. A transport will be departing for Talyn in an arn. That will give an arn to collect any belongings you might have on Talyn before we arrive at the wormhole."

* * *

Aeryn was dreading her return to Talyn. She hoped to be able to avoid any further confrontation with Velorek, but thought that it was unlikely. He hadn't gotten the hint yet. She wanted to stick close to John. 

"Hey, babe, why don't you go get the last of our things together while I check on Talyn's memory banks."

"Yeah, okay," she replied reluctantly.

"You alright?" he asked.

"I'm fine."

"You sure?" He didn't really find her answer convincing.

She smiled and nodded. "I'm sure."

"Okay. I'll meet you at the module in a little while." He sauntered down the passageway.

* * *

Aeryn packed quickly, first in her quarters and then in the quarters John had been given. He really hadn't left much of a mark on the room. 

"So, you're really leaving," came a voice from the doorway.

She looked up and saw Velorek leaning against the doorframe. "We are. Very soon actually."

"Were you planning on saying goodbye?" He moved slowly into the room.

"I don't really know who you are, so, no, I wasn't planning on it. You only think you know who I am. Now, if you will excuse me, John is expecting me in the hangar."

He took hold of her arm and stopped her. "Kiss me."

She looked at him like he had grown a second head. "What?"

"Kiss me. If you can tell me you feel nothing, I'll let you go in peace. If you do feel something, stay. From what I understand, you would be safe in this reality as your self here does not exist."

She tried to shake her arm free. "I can't."

"Please. Just this once. Let me say a proper goodbye. I never got to do that before. I promise, I will walk out this door after just one kiss."

She put down the bag and waited for him to kiss her. He kissed her tenderly and deeply. She did nothing to return his kiss. "Goodbye, Velorek," she said. Picking up the bag, she walked out of the room without looking back at him. Through that kiss, she knew how much he still loved her and how much it had to hurt him to have her leave his life again. She could feel a tear trickling down her cheek.

* * *

John saw Aeryn pacing in front of the module. "I take it you're ready to go?" 

"Yes," she replied shortly.

He made a mental not to talk to her about it when they got back. "Good. I, uh, talked to Crais and we're just about there."

"That's great." She climbed into the module.

John shook his head realizing his dad was right. You just couldn't understand women.

Shortly after he took his seat and finished the systems check he received clearance from Crais to depart. "Farscape One is clear," John reported as they cleared the hangar.

"_Good fortune and thank you for your assistance_," Crais replied.

"You're, uh, welcome. Catch you on the flip side," John said before aiming the module into the mouth of the wormhole.

* * *

Everyone was waiting for them in the Maintenance Bay. "Welcome back," said D'Argo. 

"Yeah, glad to see the two of you still alive," added Chiana.

Stark looked shocked to see them. "You are alive?"

"Yeah, Astro, it's us," replied John. "Good to be back."

"So, you stopped the Scarrans?" Chiana asked.

"Yeah, we stopped them. At least for now." He looked around for Aeryn and saw her walking out of the Maintenance Bay. He wondered where she was going. "Excuse me, guys."

* * *

John finally tracked Aeryn down at the Terrace. She was sitting on the deck staring at the stars. "Can I join you?" he asked as he sat next to her. 

She glanced at him briefly. "Yeah."

They sat in silence for a few moments. "Did something happen on Talyn?"

She leaned against him. "Hold me," she cried.

"Aeryn?" he asked.

"I'm so glad it's over."

He just held her, waiting for her to say anything else.

She thought about what she could have had with Velorek on Talyn. It had seemed so nice. But then she started to think about what she had here. She had John. She was carrying his baby. She had fantastic friends, no, a fantastic family here on Moya. This was where she belonged. This was where she would be happy. "I love you," she whispered.

He kissed the top of her head. "I love you, too."

* * *

**A/N:** I hope that you enjoyed this story. It was fun for me to write, though it was kind of hard to let Crais go and admit that he really is gone in John's reality. :) 


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